Transylvanian Bloodlines
by ResidentialPsycho
Summary: Guren Ichinose and Yuichiro Amane travel to Transylvania to make a real estate deal with Count Ferid Bathory. Once Yu reaches the creepy castle and even creepier count, he wonders if there is something to all of the local superstition from the neighboring villages. Fortunately, Mikaela, the most normal person there, might have some of the answers he's looking for.
1. 16 April 1897

Dracula AU

16 April 1897.

Yuichiro Amane hummed to himself as he fetched a large bag from a closet. Most of the Ichinose servants had worked for the Ichinoses for generations. However, there was an explosion a few years ago, and many of them were killed. Since then, the clan put forth effort to pick up several Japanese orphans off the streets. Since they immigrated from Japan to England, they were especially partial to Japanese orphans. Yuichiro and his two roommates were orphans brought in by the Ichinose, and they lived in the dorms of the Ichinose's London estate. Each of them was at least part Japanese, but these features were most prominent in Yuichiro, who was dubbed "Yu" by those who knew him.

Yu merrily walked down the hall and entered his room, throwing the bag onto his bunk.

He struck a match and lit an oil lamp on the desk. The sixteen-year-old boy had short, messy black hair with shocking green eyes and a youthful face. He quickly unclasped the bag and then dashed to the drawers beneath it. He opened one and threw an assortment of stockings, small clothes, and night clothes onto his bed. After a thought, he grabbed several more stockings and added them to the pile.

He shoved the drawer shut and moved onto the next one, not worrying about the noise. This time, he grabbed several fistfuls of shirts and pants.

A curly mess of brown hair peaked at him from the top bunk. This was Yu's smaller and nicer roommate, Yoichi. He was so sweet, ladies thought he was cute and charming, but bullies sometimes saw him as a target until they realized he belonged to the Ichinoses. "Yu, are you going somewhere?"

"Yep!" said Yu, roughly throwing his clothes into his bag. "Guren is taking me with him to sell some real estate to some rich old fogey in… in Tranyville."

A snort mocked him from the other side of the room. "I am pretty sure that is _not_ what it is called," said a teen with a much deeper voice. He was Yu's taller, nit-picky roommate, Kimizuki, who got in a fist-fight with Yu at least once a month. "Don't you mean _Transylvania_?"

"Tranyville, Transylvania… There's not much difference."

"No, there is a _huge_ difference, Yu."

Yoichi chuckled. "I have to agree with Kimizuki this time, Yu. Anyway, you're going all the way from London to Transylvania, huh? That's quite a trip. We'll miss you."

"I don't get it," complained Kimizuki, sitting up in his bunk. The flame from the oil lamp barely revealed his striking pink hair. "Why does Master Guren favor _you_? You flunk most of your tests and only began studying a year ago. You're an orphan just like the rest of us. You're weak at studying," he said, holding up a finger. "You're no good at cleaning or cooking." He raised two more fingers. "You suck at being polite." Another finger. "You disobey orders—"

"Maybe he likes me," quipped Yu, "because I'm not a wet blanket."

Yoichi giggled. "Yu kind of looks like Guren. Maybe that's it. Maybe he's Guren's secret love child."

"That would make Guren a dad when he was like, what? Ten?" asked Yu.

"Eight," answered Kimizuki. "A little young to be a parent."

"Maybe he reminds Guren of himself when he was little," said Yoichi after a thought. "Wow. Can you picture that? Guren sneaking out and getting into brawls with ruffians, Guren requiring extra tutoring after flunking his exams, Guren going in and out of suspension after breaking rules…" He paused. "I can't see it."

"Me neither," said Yu.

"Guren is lazy, but he has such a high position in the Hiragi Real Estate Company for a reason. He's said to be a genius the other employees look up to. He aced all of his courses and even graduated early," said Kimizuki. "For people in the business, he's famous even outside of London."

"He really is too good for Yuichiro," commented Yoichi.

"Hey!" said Yu. "Not you, too!"

Yoichi laughed.

"Anyway," said Kimizuki with a sigh, "that's not how you pack."

"I can pack however I want," said Yu.

"You're going to run out of room. You should roll your clothes up first."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"And don't forget your summer homework."

Yu stiffened.

"I don't want to put up with you whining about it all night when you return and try to do it all at once."

"Ahaha," began Yu with a weak laugh. "You would help me, right? Right, Kimizuki?"

"No way in hell."

"Oh, come on!"

The boys chatted for several minutes as Kimizuki helped Yu reorganize his luggage. When Yu was finally ready to leave, Yoichi bid him good luck, and Kimizuki told him good riddance. Yu waved at his friends as he blew out the light and stepped back into the corridor.

He took his first steps on his journey that would affect him and his friends for the rest of their lives.

A foreboding castle peered down a mountain side, glowering at all who dared venture near. Although it was battered from age, it had an immortal majesty that implied it would not crumble even after another century. A string of mountains protected the castle from outside invaders. Small villages decorated the landscape mere hours away, but several of the smaller ones had already turned into ghost towns and hunting grounds. Locals insisted these hunting grounds were not stalked by beings of nature but rather by insidious beasts and creatures of legends and nightmares.

A teenage boy with pale skin and gloomy eyes slowly unlocked a window of the castle. Raindrops splattered onto his wavy blond hair as human screams met his ears. Thunder drowned out the screams as lightning illuminated the living nightmares before them. Mika saw a rush of shadows surge toward a tree and then undulate as they met their target, and another set of screams quickly began and abruptly stopped. No matter how quickly they ran, no matter how far, no matter how cleverly, there was no escape.

Bitter air bit the skin of his nose.

He leaned against the wet windowsill, wondering if his situation was better than the predicament of those below.

"Mika dear," rang a man's sing-song voice as he abruptly brushed his ice-cold fingers against the boy's cheek, making him flinch. "You don't taste as good when you're soggy."

The boy brushed off the hand and glared at the silver-haired man.

The man grinned, and a pair of fangs poked into his lower lip.


	2. 3 May 1897

Dracula/Seraph of the End AU.

3 May 1897.

A couple of weeks later, a clean-shaven Asian man in a dark gray business suit sat on a bench at a train station in Munich. His black hair was slicked back, and he had deep violet eyes with an immutable expression. He was only twenty-four years old, but his countenance belonged to someone a few decades older. His hand languidly stroked the briefcase at his side as he glanced at the station's clock. He wondered if his assistant would make it and if he should leave him behind if he were too slow.

People walked into the station and littered the area as they smoked cigars and polluted the spring air with their stink. Newspapers in German drifted through the air as the trains went on their way.

Several minutes ticked on by.

At 8:33 pm, the man spotted a straggling Japanese teen, who swore colorfully between gasps for air as he desperately raced to the station with several sets of luggage, most of which dwarfed him. The man stood up with his briefcase and walked to the train.

"Wait! Wait up… Wait up, Guren!" shouted Yu.

Guren did not wait and stepped aboard.

"Gurrrrrrenn!" howled the kid. "Gurennn! Wait up, you jerk! Hey! Hey! Jerk! Asshole! Butt-face!" Yu was usually not this testy. He thought he had done well so far. He had endured the daily events of Guren making him carry their luggage (some of those suit cases were heavy) and doing whatever miscellaneous tasks Guren wanted done (cleaning, ironing, and fetching food) for over two weeks.

Guren knew Yu's language skills were weak, but he still made him struggle through paying the bills in every foreign country they stopped in. Sometimes, Guren woke him in the middle of the night to do this or that. He craved a certain food or wanted Yu to take care of something _that instant_. He answered Guren's every spoiled whim, but even Yu was getting fed-up after being at Guren's beck and call constantly over the past few weeks.

Guren sighed and turned around.

"You better hurry, Yu," he said. "You might have to walk all the way there at this rate."

"I said wait, damnit!" panted Yu as he heaved three sets of luggage onto the train. Gasping for breath, he toppled to the floor.

"I don't have any use for an assistant who isn't punctual."

"Haa….? Aren't I late because you suddenly left without… paying for dinner, and I had to pick up the bill…. In _German_ , no less… You know I don't speak German well." Yu's exhausted green eyes still managed to glare up at Guren. "And you did it right before the train was about to leave," he breathed, " _and_ still made me take all the luggage!"

Guren looked down at him.

"Then, learn German. If you can still talk, I guess you're ready to move on. Our seats are this way," said Guren with a nod to his left. He headed down the hall.

Yu gave him a scathing look and muttered, "'If you can still talk, I guess you're ready to move on.' Tch! See if anyone wakes you up for breakfast tomorrow!" Despite his complaining, he lifted the luggage and wandered after his so-called boss. "What would you have done in Vienna without any of your luggage anyway?"

Guren didn't answer. He opened the door of a train compartment, and they both walked inside.

Guren relaxed on a seat while Yu stuffed their luggage into the compartments of their booth and then toppled onto the opposite seat. Guren yawned before opening his brief case and pulling out an ancient book in an obscure language. He flipped it open and leisurely began reading.

Yu wrinkled his eyebrows at the book. Rather than a book, it was more like an archaic tome in some unrecognizable language that looked like squiggles to Yu's eyes. It was made of a dark brown leather with rust-colored lettering that was so worn and faded, it would be difficult to discern. The pages were yellow with hand-written text and gritty illustrations. Many of the pages had rough edges or were torn. Guren added to the damage by dog-earing a few dozen pages. Although Yu didn't know the language, he certainly recognized it; he was sure Guren had already read through the thing at least four times already on this trip alone. Guren always sent him off on chores before he could ask about it.

He pouted, knowing from his previous attempts that Guren wouldn't tell him a thing about the book. Instead, he asked, "How much longer to Transylvania?"

"Hm… We should arrive at Vienna in the morning. From there, we take the next train to Klausenburgh and should be able to sleep in a hotel tomorrow night. Then, we go to Bistritz and stay in a hotel for one night before taking a coach to Bukovina. We get off at the Borgo Pass, and the count is sending his personal carriage to pick us up and take us to his castle… That assumes there aren't any delays and we don't get mugged. If you want us to get there quickly, then you've got to guard our bags with your life. Got it?"

"Got it, got it," said Yu, rolling his eyes. "Even if they saw what was in our luggage, they wouldn't know what to do with it… Who would want to steal from us anyway? Aren't we just going there to sell a house?"

Guren sighed. "We are going there to finalize a deal with a wealthy Transylvania aristocrat for a mansion and land on British soil. We rarely do business this far east unless it's with our branch in Japan. Doing business in eastern Europe is a good sign that the Hiragi Real Estate Company is expanding its influence. This is a good deal for us, and the guy is a noble with an extensive lineage and connections. An insult to him can drastically damage our reputation, so no funny business. _Understood, Yu?_ "

"Yeah, yeah. I get it."

Guren continued silently reading his book while Yu tapped his fingers against the seat. He looked out the window, but it was too dark to see much. He looked at each corner of their booth and swung his legs back and forth.

Guren glanced at Yu with a bland expression. This was Yuichiro Amane, sixteen years old and impatient. Clearly, sprinting here from the restaurant with all that luggage was not enough to tire him out. This was going to be a long train ride.

Guren decided to make him run farther next time.

With a sigh, Guren opened his suitcase again and pulled out a smaller book with German writing. He handed it to Yu. "Study this on the way."

"Eh?" squeaked Yu, instantly horrified. Although he managed to dodge his summer homework thus far, apparently his lucky streak was at an end.

"You need to study up on your _Juristendeutsch_ since our client says he doesn't know much English."

" _Yuu-rist-ehn-doi…tsch…_?"

" _Juristendeutsch_. German legalese. The people in Transylvania also speak Hungarian, Polish, and Romanian, all in their own dialects. It wouldn't hurt to be familiar with the location, culture, and language you're going to." He paused in his lecture to give an accusatory look at his protégé.

Yu broke eye contact. "That's something Kimizuki would say."

"There is a reason Kimizuki has top scores in his classes," Guren retorted. "If a certain someone finished his homework _earlier_ , then he could have studied them more before our arrival."

Yu pouted. "Why do I need to study it if you're there with me?"

"And what if something happens, Yu? What if we get separated, and you're hopelessly lost in a foreign country? You will wander around the streets, moaning, 'Guren, oh, Guren! If only I had listened to the magnanimous Guren, my most wonderful father! Oh, woe is me. Whatever shall I do?'" teased Guren with a high-pitched voice.

"I will not! I know enough German to figure it out," said Yu, sitting straight up.

Guren smirked and returned to his book.

Yu glowered at him.

"Fine. I will read the… the _yoo-rinden-duh_. It can't be that hard," he mumbled, unhappily opening the text. Guren smirked and returned to his own book. He appreciated the peace and quiet which followed.

After about twenty minutes of studying, Yu couldn't stop yawning. He put the book down, lied on the bench, and rolled over to sleep.

When Yu's chest began to slowly rise and fall, Guren dimmed the light and put a blanket over him. He shook his head like it was tiresome and then sat back down and continued reading until early morning.

They successfully reached Bukovina without too much trouble. There was one incident where Yu didn't wake Guren up for breakfast, but the train was an hour late anyway. The more eastward the duo traveled, the tardier the trains became, as if they were reluctant to reach their next destinations.

Guren enjoyed the extra time by teasing Yu more at each opportunity. In return, Yu complained more until Guren reminded him about his homework, which remained untouched. As if afflicted by a magic incantation, Yu always shut his mouth when Guren broached that topic.

And so, the pair spent their remaining days of traveling cajoling and annoying each other and acting like family.


	3. 5 May 1897

Dracula/Seraph of the End AU.

5 May 1897.

In the lobby of the Golden Crone Hotel, Yu tapped his foot impatiently. His eyes meandered over the décor. The hotel was very crone-like, given how old and battered it was. However, it wasn't the slightest bit "golden." It was nothing like the pricier places they stayed earlier in their trip. Animal-skin rugs decorated the thick carpet of the floor and covered up stains from who-knows-what. Several of them were torn or poked or decorated with a bullet hole or two. The walls consisted of brick and wood without any paint or finish. The place reeked of weird odors and animal smells that Yu couldn't quite place and was not sure he wanted to. It reminded him a little of the slums he grew up in but with a keener emphasis on the law of the jungle.

The message was clear: If you were weak or unaware or just plain unlucky, you might end up decorating someone's floor.

Sadly, this was still the nicest place in town.

Yu perked up as he heard a yawning Guren trudged the creaky stairs.

"Guren! We were supposed to meet here half an hour ago! You _always_ nag at me when I'm not on time."

Guren yawned. Considering how tardy transportation was in this area, he wasn't worried about missing their ride. "Don't sass your superiors, boy. Is everything ready?"

"Yes. It's not like there was much to do," said Yu with a glower. Faint gray shadows lined his eyes.

Guren blinked lazily at him. It seemed all the traveling was grating on Yu's temper.

"Don't worry, Yu. Once we get there, you can run outside in the woods with the werewolves all you want," he said with a wry smirk, which was then erased by another yawn. Muscle-heads like Yu needed to exercise more to work off their energy. Maybe Guren should pack more luggage for him next time.

"Werewolves?" asked Yu with a snort, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. And then, you can nap as much as you want without worrying about anymore rough carriage rides making it hard for you to sit the next day." Although they had traveled via boat, train, and, rarely, carriage, the carriage was the worst by far. Unfortunately, it was the best they could get out here in the country, so far from modern civilization and modern-day cities. Those rough carriage rides had even made the stony-faced Guren flinch and walk unsteady afterwards. Although Yu suffered too, he delighted in seeing Guren's hard-boiled attitude crack.

"Who said I was tired?" snapped Yu. "Are you ready or not?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

They stepped outside and gazed up at the dark gray sky. The thunder in the distance lent an eerie and unwanted rumble, giving an undertone of foreboding to their voyage. Yu uneasily looked over his shoulder into the distance, but Guren remained as nonplussed as ever.

Yu helped the coachman strap their luggage on top of the carriage and entered it, joining another passenger. A few others boarded. When Guren told the coachman they wanted to be dropped off at the Borgo Pass to meet Count Bathory, the coachman's expression stiffened. However, he ultimately nodded and then focused on straightening up his horses.

Guren looked around. An elderly man with wrinkled skin somberly drew a cross on his chest as he faced Guren and then walked away. The younger man with him repeated the motion. He passed by a woman and whispered to her, and then she drew the cross as well.

Guren raised an eyebrow, wondering if Yu noticed how superstitious the locals were about their destination. Then again, it was _Yu_ he was thinking about here.

Within seconds, the people on the street cleared out and watched Guren from the windows of their homes. After a moment, a young woman with a voluptuous chest and wavy brown hair pulled back into a bun stepped out of the hotel. Guren recognized her as the woman who delivered a letter to him from the count when he arrived. Her name was Sayuri, an eligible young woman, who worked at the front desk of the hotel. Last night, she chatted with him for several minutes. Although she hardly knew him, she mentioned she had always been waiting for the right man and thought foreigners were exotic. She twisted her hair around her fingers and batted her eyelashes at him until he finally managed to escape her by saying he needed his beauty sleep. Unlike her flirtatious attitude last night, she appeared morose this morning.

"Um, Mr. Ichinose," she said, fidgeting with her fingers as her large brown eyes kept glancing at the handsome Japanese man. "You don't mean to go there _today_ , right? I mean, you know the date…" She nervously looked at her hands, as though torn between revealing too much or revealing nothing at all.

"May 5th."

"No… I mean, that's true, but…. it's St. George's Day. Mr. Ichinose, you're not from around here, so maybe you don't know…. At the stroke of midnight, unspeakable evils are said to rise and have sway over the world."

"Is that right? Well, thanks for the concern, Miss Sayuri."

Her expression lit up. "You remembered my name?! Oh, I mean, of course you did," she said with an obvious blush. "You are _extraordinarily intelligent_ after all…."

"I really must be going," said Guren, interrupting her musings as he turned away.

"No, wait! You really shouldn't go. Surely, you can wait a few more days?" The alarmed woman bit her lips anxiously.

Guren thought of being trapped in close quarters with a stir-crazy Yu for a few more days.

"I can't."

Her expression shattered, and she almost looked like she was going to cry.

"Mr. Ichinose, you absolutely cannot go! You cannot! You will never return! Do you even know how to protect yourself against such evil?!"

Guren sighed. "I see your point. You are very concerned for our safety… In that case, we can go sight-seeing in Bukovina instead of stopping at the Borgo Pass for now. I will send a note saying we had to take a detour," he lied with a muted expression. "It has been a long journey in a foreign land, so I'm sure the count will understand."

Relief made her shoulders feel twenty pounds lighter, and she smiled gratefully. Tears dripped out of her pretty eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

"Waiting a few days is definitely for the best. Even so, you are a foreigner…" She lifted the rosary from her neck and placed it on Guren.

He glanced warily at the religious beads decorating his neck. "This isn't necessary."

"Please, Mr. Ichinose…"

"It looks important. How can I take something like this from you?"

"Mr. Ichinose, it will serve its purpose this way. It is meant to fight evil. It will protect you and your assistant."

Guren sighed. "Alright. Thank you for your gift." He hoped this would be enough to placate her. There was no way he could wear this into the castle.

"Best of luck and blessings to you, Mr. Ichinose," said Sayuri tearfully. She forced a smile. "Please stop by on your return trip and tell me how things went."

"Sure. No problem," lied Guren once again.

After her tearful farewell, Guren joined Yu in the coach. Yu's lips stretched out in a grin.

"Nice necklace. I didn't know you were into jewelry, Guren."

Guren took off the rosary and chucked it at him. Yu caught it easily. "It's supposed to protect you from ghosts," he said, lazily settling back against the bench.

"Ghosts?" Yu frowned and looked at the cross, turning it in his fingers. "Is the castle haunted?"

"Who knows? It's old. A lot of people died there over the years."

Yu raised an eyebrow before stuffing the rosary in his pocket. The rest of the passengers entered the coach, and they left the town.

Yu managed to wedge himself next to a window. His green eyes took in the sloping greenery of forest, woods, and hills. After an hour, the greens gave way to grays and blues with deep purples in the recesses of jagged rocks and pointed crags. Snow-covered mountains decorated the distance—or Yu imagined they did. The skies were so gray, it was hard to tell. The temperature dropped as evening set in, and Yu folded his arms.

The serpentine road kept the passengers sliding side-to-side and slamming into each other, and Yu began feeling claustrophobic next to his 300-pound Romanian neighbor. Guren managed to sit between a pair of young women and gave a smug smirk from where he sat. Yu glowered at him.

Yu attempted to raise his middle finger at Guren until another lurch made Yu's neighbor flatten him against the wall.

The thunder loomed closer. The carriage began to slow down, and Yu took a moment to catch his breath.

The passengers grew silent. The coachman made a show of looking around and looked at his watch.

Guren poked his head out. "Is this Borgo Pass?"

The coachman didn't answer him and continued looking around. As if talking to himself, he muttered, "There's no carriage here, so no one must be waiting here after all. We shall continue onto Bukovina, and the guests here can return in a few days instead."

Before they departed, the horses suddenly became agitated and kept pacing as if they wanted to make haste. The coachman cursed and tried to calm them.

The people inside the carriage leaned far away from the door, pinning Yu against the far wall until he stood up to escape. The ruckus ended abruptly with the sound of approaching hoofbeats, the familiar sound somehow making the hairs on Yu's neck stand up.

A black calèche with four coal-colored horses pulled up beside them as if born from the darkness itself. The coachman's lamp flickered as it swayed. Guren saw a tall, muscular man with ruby-colored bangs and a braid of dark mahogany smile cheekily down at the coachman.

"You are a little early tonight, my dear friend," said the muscular man as his regal black carriage slowed.

"Y-Yes," stuttered the coachman. He avoided eye contact with the man. "We were in quite a hurry to get through before—"

The muscular man gave a dry laugh. "Sure. And I suppose you waited quite a good while before scurrying off to Bukovina? How fortunate I managed to get here in time. My horses are awfully fast, and I would hate to just _chase_ you down, you know? I hate running after all."

The muscular man gave a toothy grin, and the coachman's face blanched.

" _Die Todten reiten schnell_ ," muttered the man who had been sitting next to Yu.

Yu opened his mouth to ask him what he meant but hesitated as he struggled to think of the appropriate German words.

"Yu! Help get the luggage," ordered Guren, distracting Yu from his thoughts. Yu hustled out, grateful to stretch his sore legs and back after that rough ride. His back made several popping sounds as he extended his body.

"Hm? Oh, it's fine," said the muscular coachman. He lightly shooed Yu away from their baggage. "My name is Crowley Eusford," he said in crisp German. He bowed politely. "I work for Count Bathory. You are Mr. Ichinose, yes? I will take care of your luggage."

Yu watched in awe as Crowley handled their bags. He moved them so easily, their luggage looked as light as pillows in his hands. Yu's mouth fell open before he weakly closed it and tried to disguise his astonishment by limiting it to a raised eyebrow. How strong was this man?! After dragging those things everywhere after Guren over the past few hellish weeks, he knew _exactly_ how heavy those bags and suitcases were. Some of those suitcases were especially heavy, but Crowley handled them like he didn't even notice.

Yu glanced at Guren, but Guren didn't seem bothered. He lazily continued to point to each of their suitcases in turn as Crowley transferred them to their new ride.

Yu's eyes loomed over Crowley's muscles as he was filled with envy. One day, he would be that strong. One day.

As soon as Crowley lifted the last suitcase that Guren pointed to, their previous coachman urged his horses to run, and he sped off to Bukovina without even a farewell. It was as though the Devil were on his heels and hungry for a tasty human morsel.

Yu raised an eyebrow and gestured at the fleeing coach. "What was that about?"

"Come on, Yu," said Guren, ignoring his question. "We'll leave you behind."

"Are you both ready?" asked Crowley slowly in accented English, startling them with the sudden transition. His English was not as nearly as clear as his German, but it was still comprehensible.

"You know English?" asked Guren.

"Yes. My lord had us learn English, so we have carefully practiced." He paused. His eyes flickered in the faint light from his lantern. "We have wolves, so we must take care. Blankets are in the calèche, and there is a flask of _slivovitz_ under the seat."

Guren and Yu glanced at each other before scuttling into the carriage and started on their way.

"So much for me having to brush up on my German," complained Yu.

"The count is serious about moving to England. That's good for us," replied Guren.

The pair's usual bickering faded away into silence. As they headed into the darkness of the mountains, the howling of wolves echoed from their drop-off site. Yu shivered.

"Scared of a few little wolves, Yu?"

Yu couldn't see his face, but he imagined Guren's cocky grin.

"Shut up. I didn't see you waiting around for them."

They traveled straight ahead, around a bend, straight, around another bend, and so on until Yu didn't know which direction they had started in. He peered suspiciously at the trees along the path. The eerie trees reached spindly, claw-like branches onto the dirt road, but the little black carriage seemed to dance through them like a shadow in the night. The trees almost appeared gaunt, hungry. It was as though they were reaching and groping for any prey within their grasp.

Yu felt a faint shiver down his spine before he sighed and sat back down. He was sure the trees would not be half as spooky in the daytime. There was just this chill creeping up his spine and the echo of a thought that refused to let him rest: Was it really wolves that scared the natives badly enough to draw crosses on their chests and wear religious jewelry? Did crosses and necklaces have any effect on wolves?Guren responded to all the local whispers and mutterings as if it were hogwash. He never paid it any mind, but Yu wondered if their suspicions and concerns should be disregarded so easily. The busty brunette from the Golden Crone Hotel was so worried, she was in tears. People wouldn't be upset like that for no reason, would they?

After two hours of twisting and turning and odd detours, the carriage slowed to a stop. Yu was impressed that Crowley could guide them so well in all that dusky darkness. He poked his head out of the carriage. Sure enough, he saw the shadow of a gloomy, aged castle with towers that pierced the thundering sky. Lightning slithered across the clouds, casting the broken battlements of ages past in sharp relief. Even with only the lightning to reveal the castle's silhouette, it was clear the ancient piece of architecture was in disrepair. Yu wasn't surprised. The place was old, and who in the world would want to come on such an uncomfortable journey up here with bricks and supplies to make this shabby place whole again?

Yu's sustained nervousness finally melted away and took the dredges of his energy with it, surprising him with weariness. Yu yawned as he blinked sleep from his eyes.

"Gentlemen, we have arrived," stated Crowley, opening the carriage door. Yu shook away his fatigue and hopped out first, gazing drowsily at their surroundings. Guren trotted after him. His mouth stretched into a languid yawn.

A cold sprinkle of rain quickly shocked the pair into feeling wide awake, despite the late hour.

"Let me walk you to the door," said Crowley as he lifted away their luggage. Once again, he did it without even appearing to struggle. He didn't even release a grunt. Yu frowned. The light from the carriage's lantern licked the leaves of nearby trees, but it only seemed to make the shadows deeper. The lantern's light looked as though it were practically being eaten by the night. Yu felt another chill, which he blamed on the rain.

The icy raindrops grew heavier.

The trio crossed a dilapidated courtyard. Arches curved over them like the ribs of a giant. Yu supposed it must have been part of an elaborate entranceway once upon a time, but it was too dark to tell.

Crowley set their bags down and grasped the massive knocker on pair of ancient and immense doors, which would soon grant them entry. The iron looked rusted and worn, while the wood was so battered, in had nearly turned gray. Yu could see why the locals held so much superstition toward the castle… He was close to believing the rumors himself just by looking at the front door. He warily touched the rosary in his pocket.

If the rumors were true, then that necklace would make him as safe as money in a safe… right?

Yu glanced at Guren, swearing silently to never reveal he was becoming a bit superstitious himself. Guren would never let him hear the end of it. Who got scared of an old building, anyway?

A rattling of chains jostled Yu to attention and made his heart race. Eerie clanging and clattering echoed throughout the courtyard as the twin doors yawned open. It was as if the castle were waking from a long slumber and thirsted for fresh life.

The sudden blinding light that shot through the entrance forced Yu to blink harshly.

"Welcome to my home!" laughed a jubilant voice with excellent English but a foreign accent. This person's English was better than Crowley's, but his enthusiasm was a little over-the-top. Yu squinted against the brightness to see a silver-haired man spin into view and take a bow. His long, silver hair curled around him like ribbons. No, at second glance, he really _was_ wearing ribbons. Although it wasn't uncommon for men to wear ribbons, wasn't he overdoing it a bit?

"Please enter freely and of your own will," said the overly-cheerful man. His attitude was so ridiculously sunny, it was practically an abomination this late in the night. "I am Count Ferid Bathory, and I am _most_ pleased to meet you."

The count gracefully stepped aside, inviting them in with a wave of his arm. If Yu weren't mistaken, the man had lace coming out of his sleeves.

Yu took a moment to reconcile the disparity from the dreary outdoors and the flamboyant host of Bathory Castle, but he was not successful.

"If you do not enter soon," noted Crowley in his deep voice from behind Yu, "we will be soaked to the bone."

Yu shook himself out of his stupor and noticed Guren step inside. Yu quickly followed him.

"You must be Mr. Ichinose," said the count as he shook Guren's hand. "I bid you welcome from the chilly night."

Yu looked at the count more closely. He was not mistaken; the count indeed wore a few ribbons and had lace coming from his sleeves. The count was just as slender as Crowley was muscular. He had unblemished white skin so white, Yu would have wondered if he were deathly ill if he weren't so energetic. He had a straight nose and thin, grinning lips.

His eyes were a shocking wine color, and they suddenly swiveled to Yu. The man's gaze was cunning, almost… predatory.

Yu shivered and took a step back.

Fortunately, the count either didn't notice or didn't mind. He held out his hand to Yu. Yu disregarded his paranoia, blaming it on the locals. Yu stepped forward and shook the count's hand. The man's glove was so cold, Yu believed he must have been handling ice a few minutes prior. Even the chilly rain felt warm in comparison.

"And this must be… Little Yu?" asked the count with a tilt of his head. He looked Yu up and down. The intensity of his gaze kept Yu from moving, and it felt kind of…slimy. "He's not quite as little as you implied in your letters, Mr. Ichinose."

"I'm not little," stated Yu petulantly, pulling back his hand.

Guren smirked. "He is still quite childish, as you will see."

Yu felt relieved when the count's eyes moved off him and returned to Guren.

The silver-haired man chuckled with a hand gracefully placed at his smirking mouth. "Oh, I see, I see. I understand perfectly. My son is around his age. He is in a bit of a rebellious period, I am afraid. I beg your forgiveness in advance. He doesn't like visitors, and he can be quite rude at times. If he gives you any trouble, just tell me. Even though he acts like that, he will still listen to me. Most of the time, anyway."

"With any luck," said Guren, "they'll be friends, and Yu might have a playmate to keep him busy for a while."

"Hahaha!" chortled the count with a sharp-toothed grin. "With any luck, certainly."

As the count and Guren chatted, Yu looked around. The entranceway was octagonal and without windows. The count led them to a hallway. It was quite dated and made from stone. Heads and skins of animals acted as decoration. A few landscape paintings hung from the walls. The corridor was well-lit, but Yu noticed there weren't any windows. Feeling enclosed made Yu uneasy.

If nothing else, at least it was better than the Golden Crone Hotel. After spending the night there, Yu's expectations weren't high. This place didn't smell nearly as bad either.

The count clapped his hands. "Chess, please direct these men to the toilet and show them their chambers. After that, bring them to the dining room. They must be famished. Horn, please take their luggage."

Yu turned to see Guren be led away by a petite woman with shoulder-length dark hair and hustled after them.

"Mika… Mika… Oh, Mimika," sang the count in an annoying tune and making Yu feel sorry for whoever Mika was.

The count was a mixture of flamboyant and creepy, but Yu shoved those thoughts away. He had just spent too long with the superstitious locals and was tired. He was sure everything would feel—and look—normal in the morning.

Author's comments: Beta'd by Elly3981.


	4. 6 May 1897

Dracula/Seraph of the End AU Ch. 4

6 May 1897.

After making a hasty retreat to the toilets, Yu's stomach growled in anticipation. The coachman who drove them to Borgo Pass was so nervous, he was practically sitting on needles the entire time and never stopped, not even to water the horses. It wasn't like the passengers couldn't stand up or stretch during the ride, so, although it was unpleasant, it wasn't anything unbearable. Even when he arrived at the meeting spot for Crowley, he barely waited a few seconds for Crowley's arrival. Yu and Guren only had a brief moment to empty their bladders while Crowley moved their luggage, and they didn't want to dawdle in the hauntingly eerie woods with the ghastly howling all around them. Oddly enough, Crowley never took a restroom break since picking them up and never asked if they wanted one. Maybe he knew better than to take such a risk with the more dangerous denizens of the woods.

It had been over twelve hours since Yu last ate anything. He woke Guren in the morning and quickly ate his breakfast before packing and then waiting for the carriage to Borgo Pass. After that, the ride up to the count's castle was unexpectedly long, and Yu was too distracted by the threatening sounds of the mountains to think much about his appetite. Now that he was in a safe place, his stomach ached for attention.

He and Guren followed Miss Chess, the shorter maid. She was a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length dark hair and a heart-shaped face. Despite her short stature, she had a full and well-endowed figure. Her pale skin and glistening red lips seemed familiar somehow, raising his hackles. He shook it off, blaming the hair-raising ride up to the castle for his paranoia. So far, she spoke in broken English only to point them to the toilets, and Yu's bladder was so full, he hadn't given her much thought.

Looking now, her skirt seemed awfully short for a maid; it scandalously revealed not only her ankles but flashes of her calves as she walked. She also had quite a bit of cleavage puffing out of her blouse. Did Ferid have all his maids dressed like that around here?

Yu rolled his eyes, figuring Guren wouldn't mind if all the women here dressed like that.

She led them along a passage, up a great winding stair, and onto another passage. She pushed open a thick door with ease, meaning it couldn't have been as heavy as it looked. They entered a well-lit dining room. The silverware and plates had been arranged. Yu glanced to and fro, salivating as he desperately sought out food. Unfortunately, he found none. His lips quivered as he tried to hide his pout. His stomach resonated his woes with a dull ache.

"Right this way," said Chess in English with a heavy accent as she gestured to another door. Her English was not as good as the count's or Crowley's, but it was still possible to interpret.

This time, she led them to an octagonal room lit by a single lamp and opened yet another door to a hall. Yu felt dizzy with all these matching hallways and octagonal rooms. How was he going to walk around here without getting lost?

"Bedrooms here." She opened a door, and Yu's eyes lit up to a soft-looking bed and a freshly-crackling fireplace. She passed by another door, making no mention of it, and walked to the end of the windowless hallway, opening the door on the farthest end. "And here," she said.

Yu and Guren peeked their heads in to see larger, more elaborate bedroom than the last one.

"I like this one," said Yu.

"Ahem," said Guren, straightening his posture and attempting to radiate some authority. His violet eyes looked down at Yu in a playfully arrogant manner. "Since you eat food like it is going out of fashion, you can have the bedroom closer to the dining hall." Yu interpreted it as: _I am the boss and want the bigger room, so I am going to have the bigger room and that's final._

Yu gave a disdainful expression but didn't care enough to argue. Both rooms looked much nicer than the ones at the Golden Crone Hotel, and they were both spacious. Honestly, Yu could sleep just about anywhere, but it was nice to get a room to himself, unlike at home.

He noticed their luggage had already been moved to the hall outside their rooms. He declined Chess's assistance and lifted his luggage into the room, letting Miss Chess help Guren sort out his bags instead. Yu wondered with befuddlement how the other maid brought it all the way up those stairs so quickly. Then, he shook his head when he realized Crowley must have helped her. For someone as muscular and strong as Crowley, even carrying luggage that heavy up the stairs was probably an easy feat.

Miss Chess led them back to the dining room. Someone had placed covered platters on the table, making Yu's heart jump with anticipation. He swallowed down his saliva. Count Bathory sat at the head of the table with a glass of what looked like red wine. His silvery hair trailed down his shoulder, and Yu couldn't help but liken it to the strands of a spider's web. "Please have a seat. Pardon me for not joining you, but I have dined already." Considering that it was well-after midnight, Yu wasn't surprised.

 _Food! Food! Food!_ pined Yu, having gone without a full meal since breakfast. He reached over and opened a cover of a dish and revealed the delectable scent of an excellent roast chicken. Yu threw a few portions on his plate and began stuffing his face with them before he could blink.

Guren sighed. "Count, please pardon my protégé for his lack of table manners. When it comes to food, he can't see anything else."

"Hahaha," laughed the whimsical count. "When we are overcome with hunger and faced with a feast, aren't we all the same? Please, you may both just call me Ferid. There is no need to be so formal. You came in quite a hurry, so let me introduce my staff properly. You already met Crowley Eusford, the one who drove the carriage up the mountain. These two women are Chess Belle, who guided you to the toilet and your rooms, and Horn Skuld, who handled your luggage," he said with a nod to maids standing in the dining room. Crowley was absent, presumably managing the horses and carriage.

When Guren reached for the ladle of soup, Miss Chess quickly poured it for him. Miss Horn stood at his other side and quietly pour a bottle of old Tokay for his drink.

Guren and Ferid continued chatting, but Yu paid them no mind.

After he gobbled down several mouthfuls of chicken and began helping himself to some salad and cheese, he took a closer look at his company.

Ferid nursed his drink, sipping it slowly to enjoy the flavor with a succulent smile on his face. His sanguineous eyes turned to Yu with an alluring gaze, sending a chill down Yu's spine. Something about the count felt unnerving, but Guren didn't appear too concerned. Since Guren was calm, Yu figured there was nothing to worry about, but he instinctively looked away anyhow.

He glanced at Chess briefly, who served those at the table with a bored expression on her face, before turning his eyes to Horn.

Horn was a tall, buxom woman with spirals of platinum blond hair cascading over her shoulders. Her lips were as red as rubies, making Yu realize why Chess's mouth looked so familiar earlier: all the inhabitants here seemed to have fairly red lips. Perhaps they all wore the same make-up, or maybe it was just genetics? Horn had a regal air, which suggested she was the noble, not the servant. With her heels, she was nearly as tall as Guren and several times more gorgeous. If Chess was a cute lure, then Horn was a mature seduction. With her hourglass figure and the pair of voluminous mountains on her chest, she was practically walking temptation.

Yu noticed Guren pretending not to peek at her… assets… a few times. Yu gave him a bland look but held back his sigh. He drank some water.

While sticking a forkful of salad in his mouth, he noticed both women had a reddish tint to their eyes like the count, but Horn's eyes were the darkest. All three also had pointed ears. Maybe they were all related somehow. Yu shrugged them off as common traits of this area and focused on his salad, finally satiating his grumbling stomach.

Guren talked about their trip from England as Ferid nodded and listened attentively. Horn poured him more wine.

Yu stuffed himself until he was bloated and blinked drowsily. Ferid sent what looked like an understanding smile in his direction, but it somehow felt more like a sneer.

"You have had quite a long trip. Perhaps you would like to return to your room, Little Yu?" asked the count.

"I'm not little," grumbled Yu.

"I want you to meet my child before you leave," continued the count, decisively ignoring Yu's comment. "He is quite unsociable, but he is the one who prepared all this food for you. As I do most of my work at night, the staff stays up late with me, and he will attend to your needs during the day…" The count paused as if waiting for something, but nothing happened. He gave a wry but knowing smile with a faint sigh. "Mika dear, I know you can hear me. Come out." Without waiting, he continued, "This is Mikaela Bathory, my child. Although he is not actually a servant, he is the best cook here by far and will prepare the meals during your stay. He agreed to look after you, so please consult him if you have any concerns."

The door behind Ferid creaked open, and a young man of Yu's age stepped out. Yu's heart quickly thumped his drowsiness away as he set eyes on the count's son. Yu was glad his hands were empty because he would surely have dropped his silverware. Mikaela's wavy hair was the color of sunshine and kissed his neck like a gentle hug. He had cold eyes the color of a frosty sea. Like his father, he was quite pale. Unlike the other three residents, his lips were a pale pink instead of crimson. He had the build of someone no longer a child but not quite an adult, someone brimming on the edge of youth and about to step into manhood. Even when compared to the graceful beauty of the two women, Mikaela did not fall short.

As Yu wondered if this teen was the most enthralling person he had ever seen, he finally noticed Mikaela's expression: It was completely sour, as if he had been forced to swallow a worm. His dour glare completely overrode his good looks and made Yu wonder if his initial impression of Mikaela had been due to fatigue. His excited heart slowed its pace back to normal.

"What's his problem?" muttered Yu to Guren as his expression dampened. Mikaela's glowering blue eyes turned to him.

 _And I have already made an enemy here_ , thought Yu with a frown. _Great._

"I'll walk Yu back to his room," said Guren, "and then rejoin you to discuss the estate."

"Ah, yes. The estate. That's right," teased Ferid. "Take care. Mika, go with them. It is so easy to get lost here the first time one visits."

Mikaela silently walked over to them, clearly unhappy to be there, and he led the way out of the dining room. Yu wrinkled his eyebrows before stepping after him. He had a feeling Mikaela wouldn't wait for stragglers, and he didn't want to spend any extra time with the count. Guren joined him.

"Sleep well and dream well," bid Ferid as they departed.

They headed down the hall, and Yu relaxed more now that Ferid and the maids didn't have their eyes on him. He glanced at Guren. "You _really_ seemed to enjoy your supper, Guren."

"It's not a sin to enjoy the scenery," Guren retorted.

"Uh-huh," said Yu.

"Being dressed as they were, they clearly wanted someone to look."

"Mm."

"And when is the next chance I will come across beauties like those again? Besides, weren't you looking at them, too? Why? Do you want to take a count's servant for a wife? They were awfully attractive, so I can't blame you. It's a delight to see that Little Yu is finally taking an interest in women," said Guren with a smirk as he glanced down at his so-called assistant.

"Hah!" snorted Yu, smiling sadly. "You wish. I was looking at them because they were… interesting."

"Interesting, huh?" Guren's grin spread. "Yes, _very_ interesting!"

"Not like that," argued Yu with an annoyed expression. "They all had these wine-colored eyes and pointed ears!"

"So, their ears and eyes were all that you were looking at, hm?" continued Guren with a sneer.

"It's not like that!"

"But there _was_ someone you were looking at so hard, your eyes nearly popped out of your skull," joked Guren with a sly glance at Mikaela ahead of them.

"Shut up, Guren!" hissed Yu with a shushed tone as his cheeks turned red. He nervously glanced at the blond ahead of them, but it looked like Mikaela was going to ignore all their banter. Hopefully, Mikaela's English and hearing weren't good enough to understand them. He quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, it looks like studying all that _yoo-rinden-duh_ turned out useless for you in the end, huh?"

"…It seems the count and his staff studied English quite seriously since our last contact."

Mikaela slowly came to a standstill and turned toward them, still glowering. "Your chambers," he stated in crisply-accented English as he gestured to their bedrooms.

 _Ugh. This guy loses points in customer service_ , thought Yu. He doubted Mikaela genuinely volunteered to look after them, given how he spoke as little as possible and acted so coldly.

"Alright. I'm heading back. I remember the way, so I can walk myself there," said Guren. He gently put a hand on Yu's shoulder as he turned around. "Yu, stay out of trouble. Don't do anything I wouldn't know."

"Hah…. Stay out of trouble? All I'm going to be doing is sleeping. How much trouble could I possibly get in?" replied Yu.

Guren only responded by gazing at him with a discerning stare.

"Wh-what?" muttered Yu, green eyes widening innocuously. "Seriously… I'm not going to get in any trouble. Jeez."

Guren watched him for a moment longer before proceeding back down the hall.

As Yu began turning the handle to his bedroom door, a chorus of howls resounded from the forest. Yu paused and listened. Now that he was in the mountains, the howling was almost like music. Whether it was a mournful song or a fearful one, he couldn't tell. Even though Yu knew it was ridiculous, he felt as though the wolves sang a warning to all who could hear their cries. The question was, what were they warning him about?

"Mikaela," asked Yu turning around, "are the wolves—"

Yu blinked as he gazed down either end of the hall in confusion. When had Mikaela left? Yu's hearing was pretty good, so he was shocked to find himself alone so suddenly. It was almost as though Mikaela were an unhappy phantom who disappeared when his task was completed.

Yu apprehensively touched the rosary in his pocket before shaking away his superstitions as he entered his room. He must have been too distracted by the howling to notice the count's son leave. That was all, he assured himself.

All he really knew for certain was that the count gave off Yu an acute case of the shivers, and his kid was jerk.

As Yu gratefully fell to sleep, he hoped he and Guren could leave this unwelcoming place sooner rather than later.

Yu slept heavily and woke up in the early afternoon. He stretched and lingered in bed for a few minutes more. He had aches in places he didn't know he had, thanks to spending all day yesterday riding in carriages. He flexed his fingers and lazily rolled over, reaching for his pocket watch on the night stand. It was roughly 2 pm. Yu yawned as he wound up the watch and set it back down.

He slowly blinked the unfamiliar room into awareness as he remembered he was in an actual castle. He stared drowsily at a source of light before his eyes suddenly opened wide.

 _Sunlight?!_

"I FOUND A WINDOW!" he yelped and rushed over, quickly opening the blinds. Guren said they didn't have any windows on the lower floors to keep thieves and beasts out, but this was the first window Yu had noticed in this place.

Desperate to escape the stale air of the castle, he propped the window open and stuck his head out, inhaling the woody scent of nature with the brisk air of the mountains. The earth already sucked in the rain of the previous night, leaving only a few patches of moist ground in the shade as a reminder it was there.

"Windows are truly wonderful!" he yelled into the breeze.

Although there was some sunlight, clouds covered the sky in a gray film, making Yu wonder if it would rain again today.

Taking another deep breath, Yu turned his head as he looked at the gloomy castle grounds before noticing an even gloomier blond gazing at him from another window a few meters away. Mikaela had his eyebrow raised in reproach.

Yu's face began to flush as he wondered just how much the count's son heard and if anyone else heard his outburst.

"What?" began Yu defensively, poorly attempting to mask his embarrassment by making more noise. "You really need more windows in this place! All hail the windows!"

Mikaela merely glowered and slinked his head back inside.

Yu stepped back and shook off his shame.

 _His hair really is the color of sunshine_ , he noted casually. Too bad the lad was such a jerk. He reminded Yu of Kimizuki, his antagonistic roommate who had to dye his hazel hair pink after losing a bet on an assignment with Yu. The color ended up looking shockingly good on him. Kimizuki was a jerk, but he was a straightforward jerk who always said what—and who—he was unhappy about. He also had nice moments, such as when he helped Yu pack his luggage when he came here.

Yu frowned as he leaned onto the window sill and enjoyed the fresh air. Unlike Kimizuki, who always had his reasons, this Mikaela Bathory was rude and cold from the start without explanation. His food might be decent, but he was seriously antisocial. Was he upset because he didn't want to move to England with the count or what?

Yu decided to not let it bother him and turned to face his room. Now that he was rested, he noticed it had an octagonal shape. The bed was big enough for three or four of him and was covered with royal blue blankets. A desk stood near the window with any number of scars from previous use, showing more age and wear than a lack of care. It was old but had intricate carvings of lions on its legs, so Yu figured it was more extravagant when the count first got it. Various rugs covered the cold stone floor.

Yu got dressed and brushed his fingers through his hair to straighten it up.

He looked around for a mirror to make sure he looked okay but, no matter whether he checked the eight walls, behind the curtains, or in the drawers, he couldn't find one. He didn't remember seeing a mirror in the restrooms last night either. Curiosity pricked his mind as he pondered their absence before shrugging it off as another superstitious detail. He checked his heavier suitcases, making sure everything was in place, before sliding them under his bed and seeking out his toiletries and clean clothes.

After getting dressed, Yu gave one last forlorn look at the open window before stepping out into the stifling hall. Like the ones on the floors below, it had animal skins, animal heads, and paintings for decorations. There was a single window at the end, lighting the otherwise lightless hallway.

Yu's heart gave a thump as he realized Mika had been in one of the rooms to his right.

Yu went to the next door over and tried the handle. Locked. With a sigh, he banged on it loudly.

"Yo! Guuuuuuuuuuuuurennn! Time to get your lazy butt out of bed for breakfast! Oi! Gureennn!"

The door to Yu's left slowly opened as Guren peeked out. "Um, Yu?" began Guren slowly.

Yu looked blankly at the closed door in front of him. He wondered how Guren came out of the wrong room. "Uh… yes?"

"That's not my room," said Guren, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from curling into a smile. "That's _Mika's_ room."

The blood slowly drained from Yu's face as comprehension grasped him in its wicked claws and Guren struggled to not laugh.

"You lucked out," said Guren a moment later as they walked to the dining room. "After your _first_ round of screaming, which woke everyone up this afternoon, Mika left to get some food ready. Therefore," he continued jokingly, "he may not have heard your _second_ round of screaming."

Guren stopped at an octagonal room. "Yu, have you memorized the layout of this place yet?"

"Hah...? How could I remember it after only one night? All the rooms look the same anyway."

"Yu," began Guren in a serious tone, "if you don't remember the rooms in this place," he continued, his mouth curving into a teasing grin, "you'll have to ask Mika for directions."

Yu looked at Guren with a horrified expression. "I absolutely will not get lost," he stated stiffly.

Guren chuckled and gestured at the doors. "Then, lead the way."

Yu confidently walked forward and grabbed the handle to one of the doors there.

"That leads to the parlor," said Guren.

Yu went to another door.

"That leads to the stairs."

Yu warily grasped the handle of a third door.

"That leads to the toilet," stated a cool, gloomy voice that definitely did not belong to Guren. Yu froze and slowly turned around. He faced one Mikaela Bathory, who looked as cheerful as before, which, is to say, not at all. Guren was practically doubled over laughing as he held his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles.

Yu had embarrassed himself in front of the noble's bratty kid. Again.

"I-I knew that," said Yu, wondering how much Mikaela saw.

Mika gestured to the next door on Yu's right. "This one leads to the dining room. Your breakfasts are ready, honorable guests," he said with a deadpan face.

"Right. I will head there after using the toilet. Because I need to use the toilet," muttered Yu redundantly. He retreated into the bathroom, wondering if his face looked as red as it felt. He closed the door as another round of Guren's laughter broke free.

Moments later, he used the restroom and washed his face with cool water, making him believe his place probably looked normal. He made another internal complaint about the lack of mirrors before heading to the dining room.

He cautiously entered the dining room and glanced around for his adversary. All he saw was Guren sipping tea with an empty plate in front of him.

"Welcome to breakfast," said Guren.

Yu slowly sat next to Guren.

"Unfortunately, there aren't any windows in this room," Guren continued. "There are some nice scenic paintings on the walls, though."

"Come on, Guren… There are hardly any windows in this place. It's like prison," he complained, trying to ignore the provocation. He deeply inhaled the enticing scent of ham, eggs, and fresh bread. He lifted the lid of a platter on the table, and the fresh scent of ham reached his nose. Another had pancakes, and a third had porridge. Yu wondered if Mikaela had spit in the food he had cooked, but he shrugged, too hungry to care, and quickly began serving himself.

As Yu began stuffing his face like a chipmunk, Guren spoke up. "So, Yu… What do you think of this place?"

"Whaf woo I fink?" repeated Yu with his mouth full. He washed it down with a cup of tea. "The castle feels stuffy, the count's son is a stuck up prick, and there are wolves everywhere outside. How can anyone even stand to live here? Also, there aren't any mirrors. Why aren't there any mirrors _at all_? Did someone throw a temper-tantrum and break every last one in the castle or something?"

"The count's son…?" asked Guren, ignoring Yu's concern about the mirrors. He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Mika."

"Mika? Mikaela, that stuck-up pansy pretty boy with a girl's name. He's so rude, it's like he wants us to get fed up and leave. The only good thing here is the food."

"You know, that 'stuck-up pansy pretty boy' is the one who cooked this food."

"He's a good cook, but that's not enough to make me like him."

"I asked him earlier why he cooked the meals instead of one of the servants," continued Guren. "He said anything they cooked was inedible, so he had to cook for himself anyway."

Yu gazed at his food with a complicated expression. He pictured the two maids, Chess and Horn, setting fire to the kitchen as they attempted to mix porridge. "Seriously...?"

"Anyway, you need to make friends with him."

"He has the eyes of a dead fish."

"He's Ferid's kid, so he should be rich someday. It's important to make connections early on for business deals in the future."

Yu munched on a mouthful of egg. He swallowed and brazenly pointed his fork at Guren. "In other words, you just want to use him."

Guren waited for a moment before answering. "That's just smart business, Yu."

Yu reflected on his meeting with Mika last night and this afternoon. "Why does he have such a bad attitude? He's such a jerk. Except for the food, it's like he's trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible."

"He's been cold to me, too," said Guren. "According to Ferid, Mika is upset that we're spending time with Ferid instead of him."

"He's jealous?" asked Yu incredulously. He tilted his head with a puzzled expression. "I only met Ferid last night and spent all dinner avoiding him. _You_ are the one who spent so much time with him, so shouldn't Mika hate you more?"

"I don't think it makes sense either," answered Guren. "Mika seemed like he was _avoiding_ Ferid to me… Anyway, Yu, you need to get close to Mika, but you should avoid Ferid."

"Okay," agreed Yu easily. Guren raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Ferid creeps me out. I don't like the way he looked at me. You can keep him _all to yourself_."

Guren smiled as he finished his tea.

"You know," he began, "it's possible that Mika might not really be the count's kid."

"Mmrf?" mumbled Yu through a mouthful of food. "They're both good-looking people and jerks, right?"

"Mika just turned seventeen," said Guren, pouring another cup of tea for himself. "How old do you think the count is?"

Yu frowned, deep in thought.

"How young would he have been when he had Mika?"

Yu's eyebrows squinched together as he tried to guess Ferid's age. Wasn't he in his twenties? Maybe early thirties at most?

"You know, some nobles have _peculiar tastes_ ," continued Guren with a subtle smirk, waiting until Yu took another bite of scrambled eggs. "Some of them like to keep young, attractive boys and girls for… you know, _bedroom purposes_."

Yu choked on his eggs, making a spluttered mess on the tablecloth. Like Hell, would he ask about that!

"Oh, god! Don't joke about that, Guren. That's disgusting!" he complained while Guren chuckled at his discomfort. He carefully wiped his mouth, uncertain about what was worse: living with that grouchy Mika for who-knows-how-long or putting up with his so-called boss's tasteless jokes until he finally returned to England.


	5. 13 May 1897

Dracula/Seraph of the End AU.

13 May 1897.

After a week of trying to complete Guren's assignment of "making friends," Yu felt he was much more likely to kill Mika than to befriend him. Worse yet, the only other thing to occupy his time was reading books. Even after considering that Yu never learned to read until he was picked up by Guren at age twelve, he never cared for reading. It was no surprise that Yu felt bored out of his mind within twenty-four hours of arriving at the castle.

On the day Yu got this assignment, he asked Mika how many generations of the Bathory family had lived at Bathory Castle. He was even polite and held his tongue about the castle being creepy, desolate, and borderline sinister, but Mika ignored him and his good graces anyway.

On the second day, Yu became unbearably jaded after being cooped up inside and asked Mika if there was any way to go outside. Mika smiled and told him yes, of course, there was a way out. The smile that never reached Mika's eyes sent a chill down Yu's spine. Mika then told him that the way out was through the castle gate, the same way he came in, and he should be certain to never return. Yu was so flabbergasted, his mouth hung open as Mika walked away. Although this was the most Mika had spoken to Yu at once and he had surprisingly good English vernacular, his clear intentions grated on Yu's nerves.

On the third day, Yu's daring grew by leaps and bounds, and he faced Mika head-on, asking why Mika didn't like him. Mika, apparently in just as candid of a mood as Yu, said he had no reason to like some stupid city kid who looked like he was destined to become wolf chow. Once again, Yu was impressed by Mika's skilled English with a charming, crisp German accent, but the meaning of his words was foul.

On the fourth day, Yu was still angry about being called stupid and refused to say a word to Mika the entire day. For better or for worse, Mika continued giving him wide birth, just as he had since Yu's arrival. Unfortunately, since this gave Yu nothing interesting to do, he actually became even more bored than before. It was so bad, he even looked at his homework assignment before spending his time staring out the window and counting the number of locked doors in the castle.

On the fifth day, Yu searched for Ferid instead. Ferid might be creepy, but at least he was friendly and welcoming. After catching Yu wandering around one of the upper floors, Guren told him Ferid was out on business all day and wouldn't be back until evening. He also reminded Yu to never meet Ferid without him. When Yu recalled Guren's joke about Ferid and Mika possibly being in a romantic relationship, a shiver slithered down his back.

On the sixth day, Yu asked Mika about the weather. Mika ignored him. Again.

When he complained to Guren about it, Guren told him tough luck.

So, finally, the last of Yu's sanity came unwound and he did the unexpected: he started his homework. He did not only look at it and put it away, no sir, he actually _started working on his homework_. He would have to rub it in Kimizuki's face once he got back.

However, that is not to say he _completed_ said homework.

On the seventh day, Yu sighed and pouted as he stared out the one window of his bedroom, vaguely wondering if he was beginning to look as gloomy as Mika.

 _How much longer is Guren's business going to take?_ he complained to himself, tapping a foot on the rug. Yu was ready to end his visit, and clearly Mika was ready for him to leave as well.

After a sigh, Yu meandered from his bedroom into the hall, casually shutting the door behind him. He wandered listlessly down a few halls, gazing yearningly through the rare windows of the upper floors to the outside world, before finally encountering Guren in the library. Despite being in someone else's library and having access to hundreds of other books, Guren was seated at a table and pouring over the same leather tome he'd been scrutinizing their entire trip. He conscientiously wrote elegant Japanese script in a notebook as he carefully flipped through the delicate pages of the tome with his other hand. Most Europeans couldn't even distinguish Japanese from Chinese, Korean, or even Taiwanese, so the Hiragi Real Estate Company commonly kept company notes in Japanese to protect their secrets.

"Guren," Yu whined, plopping down on the other side of table and planting his head on his arms, "becoming friends with that guy is just impossible. Every time I approach him, he ignores me or is an ass. And I'm going insane, being cooped up all this time."

Guren grudgingly tore his eyes away from his books to look at Yu.

"Well, if you can't get close to him the nice way, then do it the _not-so-nice_ way," he stated flatly, as if he were lecturing Yu on basic knowledge. He returned his attention to his notes.

"Not-so-nice…? You mean, like… threats?" murmured Yu with a bemused tilt of his head.

"As long as you threaten to tell his father, I'm sure Mika will be more cooperative," answered Guren. "Besides, I saw him go outside earlier today, so I know the woods aren't as dangerous as he made them out to be."

"He's outside?!" yelped Yu with a start, eyes widening as he abruptly jumped to his feet with anger flashing across his face. "That bastard!"

Guren glanced up as Yu raced outside the library. "I saw him from the window outside my room!"

"Thanks!" echoed Yu's voice from the hall as his footsteps rapidly faded away.

Guren sighed, wondering how he would keep Yu occupied if Mika wouldn't cooperate.

Yu raced down to the window Guren mentioned. He spotted Mika sitting under the gray sky and leaning against a dead tree with a book in his hands. After fumbling briefly, Yu opened the window.

"HEY, MIKA! You bastard!" he yelled out. "I'm coming outside, too! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

Yu sprinted away from the window and toward the stairs, not waiting even a split-second for Mika's response. Finally reaching the entrance and finding it unlocked for the first time since his arrival, he arduously pushed one of the massive doors open before slipping through and exiting the castle. He laboriously pushed it shut behind him, ignoring the loud slam which followed, before racing toward the tree Mika was sitting by.

Yu slowed when, to his surprise, Mika walked across the unkempt green grass to meet him. The book he had been reading rested in his left hand, and a rifle hung by a strap over his right shoulder.

Yu hesitated for a moment when he noticed the rifle, but he quickly disregarded it and ran to meet Mika anyway. It wasn't like Mika was pointing the gun at him or anything. The only weapon Mika was using against Yu right now was an exhausted perpetual glare that Yu was laboriously developing a tolerance to.

"Mika, you jerk! It really _is_ safe to go outside!" complained Yu with a glower.

Mika glanced idly at the rifle on his shoulder, shrugging with its weight. "Safe, huh?"

"Safer than at night!" amended Yu, ignoring the gun. "Anyway, you went outside and didn't tell me?! I wanted to be friends with you, you jerk!"

Silence hung in the air.

"Huh?" muttered Mika after a moment, eyes growing round with bewilderment.

"And you dare to go OUTSIDE without ME!" continued Yu angrily, stomping closer. "You know how desperately I wanted to go out! I'm so sick of being inside! I'm so bored, I even started doing my homework! Me! Doing _homework!_ " he shouted, emphasizing the atrocity at hand.

Yu jabbed his finger at Mika's chest, forcing Mika to take a step back as Yu approached within inches of his face. "You. Me. We are stuck in this godforsaken land until Guren finishes whatever he came here to do, so we can at least make it less miserable for each other while we're stuck here! Got it? I want to be friends, and I don't understand why you're being such an ass all the time!"

Yu took a moment to catch his breath, and Mika remained frozen.

"So!" said Yu, placing his hands on his hips. "We are _going to get along_ , and you are _going to take me outside with you_. Every. Day. Or else I will complain to Ferid and see if someone else can help us around the castle during the daytime! You got it?!"

Mika remained dumbstruck with confusion as Yu crossed his arms. Realizing he caught his opponent off-guard, Yu decided to take advantage of it to cure his ennui.

"We will start with you telling me what we can do outside," he continued, his anger abating as he did his best to imitate Guren's authoritative tone.

Mika blinked, snapping out of his daze and took another step back to regain his personal space. After a lengthy pause, he sighed with resignation as he slowly adjusted his rifle. "It's most dangerous at night," he began slowly while looking at the ground, his expression unclear. "As long as you keep a gun ready and skirt the castle, you should be relatively safe from dawn to dusk. When night swallows the land, you don't have a hope of survival."

After another brief pause, Mika regained his resolve and solemnly looked Yu in the eyes. His expression was unusually grave. "I'm not responsible for your life."

The unsociable blonde's icy words caused an unnatural sense of foreboding to ripple through Yu's soul. Somehow, it lent gravity to the seemingly minor but numerous worries plaguing Yu since boarding the carriage to Borgo Pass.

 _Ah_ , noticed Yu, bringing his attention back to the present. _He's escaping._

Mika began to walk away until hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Mika turned around to hiss at his assailant, but he was startled by Yu's blindingly bright smile.

"That's great!" said Yu, stepping closer and clasping Mika's shoulder. "I've fired a gun before, so it should be fine! You never answered my question, you know? Is there any good hunting out here? You don't just come out here to read, do you?"

Mika responded with noncommittal murmurs as he tried to think through Yu's outburst and evade this outgoing creature from England.

"Mika, as long as we can talk," said Yu with another blazing smile, green eyes glittering jubilantly as he let his hand trail down Mika's arm, "I think we can be the best of friends!"

Yu clasped Mika's right hand between both of his, prompting Mika to lean away and give him an incredibly baffled expression. Yu's heart raced, and his palms tingled with the touch. Mika seemed less enthusiastic about the physical contact, unfortunately.

After an awkward pause, Yu let go and coughed weakly. Mika stepped back, staring at Yu like he was a rabbit with antlers. Yu redirected his attention to the book.

"Oh, isn't this a book of Shakespeare's plays?" asked Yu, quickly masking his embarrassment. "Which one are you reading? Do you like Shakespeare? Is it all in English? You're pretty good at English, aren't you? Is this how you study?"

Mika blinked helplessly at his unexpectedly willful and unwanted companion. He sighed.

Later that night, Mika finally served Yu and Guren their supper but rejected Yu's invitation to eat with them by saying he already ate. And then promptly running off. Mika wasn't sure what Yu's deal was, but he just didn't give up after one "no." Since they arrived, Mika did his utmost to make Yu and Guren feel uncomfortable and leave. Although the townsfolk spread superstitions and dread about the castle and its inhabitants, the truth Mika knew was far worse. After all, out of the previous three visitors to the castle, two departed as shadows of their former selves, and one was fed to the wolves. The only occasion when Mika relented was when he cooked their food. Although he initially considered making the food as foul as possible to motivate them to leave, Mika decisively rejected that proposal—after all, if the guests didn't eat well, they wouldn't have the sustenance to flee or to recover from anemia.

Yet, despite Mika's immense efforts, Yu pursued him like he was on a _mission_ , going out of his way to speak with Mika day after day! He even went so far as to chase Mika outside in lands riddled by wolves just to demand _friendship_ , as if that were anything of value. No matter how many times Mika rejected Yu's companionship since then, Yu clinged onto him like a magnet.

Mika was completely exhausted. It was all that he could do just to convince Yu to let him go to the restroom in peace or to keep Yu out of the kitchen. Even Guren regarded him with a sympathetic gaze.

"Just give him what he wants," advised Guren that evening after watching Mika dance away from Yu's unwarranted chumminess. "Yu is more stubborn than a mule. Even if you try to camp out in the woods until he finally goes back to London, he will search for you until he leaves."

Yu said Guren was there to make a real estate deal, but what kind of deal required the agents from the real estate company to travel across several countries and stay in the house of a complete, and quite foreign, stranger? Wasn't that risky? And wouldn't the person moving to England normally visit _England_ first? It wasn't as though Ferid ever mentioned any friends or relatives there. Was there any way to look at this situation without it being incredibly suspicious?

Mika wouldn't be surprised if Yu's naively believed the stockpile of lies about Guren coming here to make a "real estate deal." Although Mika avoided Ferid as much as possible, he strongly suspected Ferid and Guren were collaborating on something more than real estate.

Mika initially thought Guren was already victim to Ferid's wicked thirst and corruptive influence. This happened frequently here, but the Asian man had neither the unnatural wounds nor the anemia which previous guests displayed once the count was done playing with them. The second possibility was that Guren was investigating the castle or its inhabitants in some way, but no one here considered him to be a threat; although possible, this was unlikely. The third possibility was that Guren was willfully in cahoots with the monster. In the years, Mika had been here, he had never seen a human enter and leave the castle without making a deal or becoming used goods. Even if someone managed to make a deal of some kind, the count was always the victor in the end.

What did Guren Ichinose and Yuichiro Amane travel all the way to Transylvania for?

Although Mika had no idea what the guests and Ferid were up to, he assumed anything involving Ferid had to be wicked.

They obviously sent Yu to monitor Mika. Yu might know more than he let on and have the task of distracting Mika, or this could just be another prank of Ferid's. Regardless, Mika was quite certain he could absolutely not trust either Yu or Guren.

This evening, with Yuichiro so persistently harassing him, Mika found it impossible to investigate what Ferid and the other monsters had been up to. Now that they had risen for the night, investigating their activities was too risky.

 _Then again_ , thought Mika miserably to himself, _maybe it's better if I don't know._

After all, it wasn't like he had the ability to interfere with whatever mischief they wrought.

Mika unlocked his bedroom door with a faint _click_ and deftly slinked into his room. He firmly shut and locked it behind him. Then, he leaned back against the door, fatigue weighing him down, and listened patiently for Yu's enthusiastic stomping. Aside from Mika's own breathing, nothing else could be heard.

He sighed in relief, stepping deeper into the darkness before noticing a figure sitting outlined by faint moonlight. He was sitting on Mika's bed. Mika stiffened.

Mika's exhausted expression shifted into a fierce glare, rejuvenated by hate, and goosebumps dotted his skin. He briefly wondered how to escape this situation, but he realized his fate was already sealed.

The familiar chuckle of the monster Mika most loathed echoed through the desolate room, sending a bone-chilling but sadly familiar chill down Mika's spine. His muscles tensed.

"Mika dear," cooed the count in German, playfully swinging his ankles and shifting his head to let his silver hair emphasize his slender, bare neck, "it looks like you've had quite a day."

"Shut up," responded Mika, having no mind to tolerate Ferid any longer than he had to.

"Oh, now," said Ferid, seductively fluttering his eyelashes, "is that any way to treat your 'father'?"

Mika's disgusted expression was the only answer he needed. Ferid laughed to himself.

"Well, well," he teased with a toothy grin. "Your poor attitude has earned you yet another _friend_ this time, too! Aren't you fortunate to be beloved by so many?"

"He's not my friend!" stated Mika forcefully, anger overcoming his fear. Thanks to a certain leering silver-haired noble, Mika's "friends" never lasted long in the world of the living; indeed, only a few individuals were permitted to be by Mika's side for more than a few weeks, and Mika didn't want to associate with any of them. They were people who submitted to Ferid's rule and were not the friends whom Mika once longed for.

After all, none of Mika's friends drew breath any longer.

"Hahahah," laughed Ferid lightly, knowing exactly what was going through Mika's mind. With two inhumanly fast steps, Ferid stood in front of Mika. He removed his glove and brushed his ice-cold knuckles along Mika's jawline, making the boy shiver—whether it be from cold, fear, or disgust, neither could say. "That's right," he cooed softly, wine-colored eyes glittering in the darkness. "No human could ever give you comfort or the companionship you crave. They are unreliable, short-lived creatures. Those filthy, impertinent beings are worth no more than the blood which circulates through their meat…" He brought his freezing fingers to Mika's chin and made Mika look up at him.

Mika tried to keep his expression flat and cover his fear. He knew it was a failed attempt.

"At any rate," Ferid continued with a purr, "humans only live a few decades at most, so it's not like I shortened the lives of your so-called friends by much. If given enough time, those exceptionally greedy walking blood sacks would have abandoned you to fulfill their own desires. Surely, you're not still angry about something that happened so long ago?"

"Are you, Mika dear?" he asked softly, leaning closely, letting his cold breath tickle Mika's face.

Mika glared at him. Ferid laughed, its haunting tone echoing throughout the room.

"Aha ha ha. Your reaction never fails to amuse me," said the monster with delight. His wine-colored eyes sparkled. "Mika, my dear, I'm quite parched, you see…" He let his hand fall and stepped back. "Shall we do this standing, or would you like to lie down first?"

Mika's muscles ached with tension. He forced them to relax. He turned his eyes away, knowing that refusing this creature would only lead to more bloodshed. Fighting back wasn't worth it. Not anymore.

Mika grudgingly moved toward his bed, feeling like the flicker of a candle in a breeze, fading in and out of life, ready to be snuffed out at any moment. He removed his boots, uncertain if he wanted to move slowly to postpone the inevitable or to move faster and get it over more quickly. He tentatively glanced at Ferid, who responded with a smug cat-like leer.

With a derisive _huff_ , Mika stripped off his jacket and unbuttoned the collar around his neck, choosing to get this over with sooner rather than later.

As soon as he sat on his bed, Ferid leapt on top of him, making Mika release a gasp as his heart rate spiked. Delight stretched Ferid's grin as he pushed Mika down, straddling Mika's waist between his thighs and giggling at Mika's surprised expression. Ferid pressed his cold hand against the base of Mika's throat as he abruptly pushed the boy down. Ferid's long fingers briefly teased Mika's Adam's apple.

"Oh, Mika dear," he sang mirthfully as he unbuttoned Mika's blouse much further, revealing the cream color of his chest. Ferid slid his icy right hand into Mika's blouse, making Mika hiss briefly at the cold and glare at him. Ferid moved his hand slowly over Mika's skin to Mika's left, pausing only once he felt the warm throb of Mika's heart. He smiled, satisfied and predatory as he leaned over his prey.

Mika's heart raced beneath his freezing touch.

Mika's wary pale blue eyes stared at Ferid, meeting Ferid's alluring russet gaze, until he slowly turned his head away, baring his neck.

Ferid's breath tickled the flesh of Mika's exposed neck before he kissed it lightly. Ferid parted his lips wide to reveal a pair of unnaturally long and sharp canines, teeth that did not belong on any human. Even Mika's former friends would have attested to that, had they lived to speak of it. Ferid then pierced Mika's skin with his fangs, forcing blood to leak from the wounds. Mika shifted under Ferid's weight, feeling Ferid lean into him.

Mika ignored the familiar pain as his life blood was steadily drained from his body. Masking the pain was a horrific and unnatural pleasure, which caused agonizing humiliation. Pain was something Mika could tolerate, but this shameful sensation was something he could never bear to speak of.

To distract himself from the bite's lustful nature and the encroaching blush melting his previously rigid expression, Mika focused on the unpleasant cold of the monster consuming him. Another wave of pleasure made him gasp and writhe, making Ferid tighten his hold.

It felt like forever as Ferid slowly gulped Mika's blood down, making Mika suspect Ferid was prolonging the process. Dark specks flickered in the corners of Mika's vision. Ferid suddenly pulled his fangs out of Mika's skin, making Mika stifle a moan. The disgraceful sensations and pulsations afflicting Mika's body gradually faded as Ferid's tongue finally licked the wound clean.

"Now, now," Ferid purred, erotically licking his lips as he traced his fingers over Mika's clavicle, "that wasn't so bad, was it? You would enjoy yourself much more if you simply gave into your desires, you know? You'll feel much, _much_ better…"

Mika ignored him, finally beginning to relax as an unnatural sleep began to dull his senses and his bedroom dissipated into oblivion.

"Your body still ages. Yet, you're at the age _I_ find most beautiful… Just barely, anyway," said Ferid softly. "Any time you wish to accept me, you just say the word."

Mika felt Ferid's cool thumb, warmer than before, brush over his lips as Ferid's words faded away and a deep sleep overtook him.


	6. 14 May 1897

14 May 1897.

"ALL HAIL THE WINDOWS, THE WONDERFUL GATEWAYS TO FRESH AIR!" shouted a youthful, over-enthusiastic guest from the next room over.

Mika sluggishly pulled his pillow over his head to try and drown out Yu's obnoxious howling. This was the first time that brat screamed out the window in several days, so Mika was quite certain Yu knew better, no matter now innocent Yu pretended to be. Mika swore that brat was yelling so early in the day just to annoy him; quite unfortunately, it was working. Mika cursed drowsily under his pillow as he slowly flexed his fingers and legs to wake up.

When Mika had examined the rooms Guren spent most his time in, especially the chemistry lab and the library, Mika noticed the candles had either remained lit until near dawn, melting into naught but wicks amidst puddles of warm wax, or had been replaced on a nightly basis, suggesting that Guren spent many hours there. Since Guren went to bed long after Yuichiro and was usually awake and ready for breakfast by late morning, Mika suspected the man only slept a few hours per night. Since the other denizens had excellent night vision, they only relied on candles to entertain humans or to create an ambient atmosphere. Only Guren, Yu, and Mika would use them regularly.

As Guren was most likely awake already, Yu had to be making such a ruckus purely for Mika's sake.

Mika wondered if he should introduce that city-slicker to Crowley's pets.

He slowly stretched his aching muscles and pulled off his bed sheets, gradually noticing he was still in yesterday's clothes. He slowly realized Ferid must have tucked him into bed after draining him.

A knock hammered on his door, snapping Mika from his sleepy daze.

"Mika, Mika, Mika!" cried the obnoxious fool who had only just yelled out the window. "Let's have breakfast and then go hunting! Up and at 'em!"

 _Murder_ , thought Mika as he made a point to change his clothes and tidy his hair as slowly as possible. _I should really murder him._

Opening a drawer, he pulled out an ornate hand mirror that Ferid got for him one birthday. It had a silver frame and was carved with a design of feathers flowing and overlapping each other. When Ferid gave it to him, he said something about it being a gift for his "little angel" and hoping that Mika would think of him when he used it, as creepy as that was. Ferid gave it to him on his first birthday after being taken to the mansion, so he already had several months to get used to Ferid's perverse jokes.

Unfortunately, as there were very few mirrors in the castle, and none in places Mika would normally dare to visit, he ended up using the mirror almost daily by the end. He used it more to examine his wounds and pallor than to spruce up his appearance, but it was undeniably useful.

Today, he used it to carefully examine the wound on his neck. Ferid punctured Mika's flesh high on the left, causing Mika to grumble. It was too high up to easily conceal with a collar, and the nosy Yuichiro would absolutely notice it. Mika suspected Ferid did that on purpose to make things difficult for him.

Mika could easily picture Ferid giggling to himself over Mika's discomfort. He probably saw it as a joke, even though it wouldn't change anything in the long run.

With a sigh, he plucked a navy-blue scarf off his coat rack and wrapped it gently around his tender neck, using his mirror to make certain it covered the eye-catching bruise and fang marks.

Once satisfied, he hid his mirror back in a drawer and quietly stepped to his door. He stood near it, listening as carefully as he could. After hearing nothing on the other side for several seconds, he deftly unlocked it and pushed it open.

Big mistake.

"Morning, Mika!" cheered Yu, his beaming grin far too bright for this early in the day. Had he seriously waited in the hall all that time while Mika was dilly-dallying?

Mika glared at him, none too amused.

This Yuichiro, for Mika not to have heard a sound, must not only have waited all that time but must have waited _silently_ without moving a step. This fiend was practically a hunter stalking his prey, and Mika had no intentions of being prey to two different people within a twenty-four-hour span.

 _Murder_ , he suggested to himself once again, wondering if Ferid would be too entertained by Mika killing someone to issue a punishment. His humor was pretty twisted after all.

"Come on, Mika!" said Yu innocently, his green eyes nearly glimmering with excitement as he disrupted Mika's ponderings. "It's almost two in the afternoon! You usually serve us food by one. I'm starving."

 _It's already that late?_ wondered Mika to himself, believing it easily. After losing blood, he always felt exhausted. He frowned. _Stupid Ferid._

"Mika?" asked the vile, green-eyed pest, leaning closely to Mika's face with a worried frown. "Did you not sleep well?"

When he was merely inches away, Mika snapped. "Yuichiro, get out of my face," he demanded. He really did not have the energy to deal with this pesky twerp today.

Yu jumped back as if Mika had slapped had slapped him. He quickly replaced his surprised expression with a gentle smile.

"My friends call me Yu," he said sweetly.

Completing ignoring Yu as though he weren't even there, Mika shut and locked his bedroom door behind him before walking toward the dining room and kitchen.

Mika washed up in the restroom before making his way to the kitchen. Yu trailed him like a shadow, prompting Mika to shut the kitchen door in his face, so he could get to work on their meal. Remarkably, Yu managed to step back before the door hit him.

By the time Mika could count to ten, a rapid knocking tapped against the door. The sound was much softer than the hammering that harassed him in his bedroom.

"Hey, Mika? Can I help? Even if you don't want me to cook, I can fetch things for you or help clean," asked Yu tentatively from behind the door.

"It's unnecessary," stated Mika, ending the conversation at that.

After preparing omelets, toasting bread, and brewing tea, he calmly delivered the breakfast dishes to the castle guests, setting the platters on the table quickly as he sped back to the kitchen without waiting for their response. As usual, Guren paid him no mind and began serving himself. As usual, Yu hurried after Mika like a starving rat after cheese. Unfortunately, Yu was even more persistent than he was a few days ago.

"Mika, won't you eat with us? I know you haven't eaten today, so you can't just—"

Mika slammed the kitchen door in his face. Again.

"Hey!" shouted Yu from the other side, voice now muffled by the door. "I swear," complained Yu, now sounding like he was turning away.

 _He must be talking to Guren_ , noted Mika. To survive in a den of monsters, Mika had developed keen hearing. Of course, Yu only seemed to be quiet when he was creeping around. Honestly, Mika wished that holy terror would pay more attention to his surrounds and quit stirring up a ruckus. His noise levels were often high enough to even wake the dead. And, yes, Mika meant that literally.

"What is his _deal?!_ What's so wrong with eating together?! Does he practice cannibalism and not want us to see or something? Aren't we his guests?" continued Yu, sounding most displeased.

"Maybe he just doesn't like you," said Guren, his voice sounding calm and uninterested.

"Urgh!" grumbled Yu. "I just hope he eats something. He really didn't look too good today…"

Mika stopped listening in on them at that point, no longer wanting to be bothered by Yu's ramblings. He sighed as the kitchen before him swayed. He leaned against the door, breathing slowly until the room appeared steady and his jelly-like legs became sturdy. He slowly scrambled some eggs for himself, knowing he needed to eat to recover, even if he had no appetite. He had already skipped dinner last night, thanks to Yu's harassment.

Once the eggs were finished, he quietly pulled out a stool in the cool, dim kitchen, and ate his tasteless meal alone.

"Hey, Mika," came a voice as soon as Mika stepped out of the kitchen. He glowered. He had waited so long in the kitchen and then listened for sound before exiting, but this black-haired green-eyed devil still waited silently for him. What was he, a hunter stalking his prey? Or maybe just a stalker?

"Let's go outside," continued Yu happily, as if Mika hadn't explicitly spurned him at least three times already this afternoon alone.

Mika sighed.

"If you want to go outside," he said coolly, too tired to snap back with his usual vinegar, "then go outside. Just don't come back."

When Mika tried to leave, Yu skittered around to block his path. He had a worried expression on his face, but one hard glare from Mika made that vanish immediately.

"The door's locked," stated Yu, irritation now peeking from his eyes.

Mika sighed and walked down to the entranceway. An antique set of knight's armor stood at attention on a wooden stand at either side of the doorway. Both sets had minor indents and scratches, suggesting they had been used in battle at some point. Mika reached behind the stand on the right and pulled out a large antique key. He inserted it into the lock and turned, letting a _click_ reverberate through the entranceway. He placed the key back behind the stand.

"It's unlocked," stated Mika unenthusiastically as he turned around. Yu was watching him with a stiff expression. It was almost like he was thinking about something.

Mika decided to hightail it out of danger before Yu initiated whatever it was he was thinking so hard about.

When Mika began to race past Yu, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Mika's wrist.

Again.

Why did that guy keep touching him? He was almost as bad as Ferid.

Mika stopped, pale blue eyes regaining their irritable fervor as he pointedly glared at Yu's obviously guilty hand.

"Hey, Mika," said Yu cheerfully. There was no way he could be as oblivious to Mika's foul mood as he appeared. "We're on a mountain with a bunch of woods and no one else around, so we can go hunting, right? Do you know how to hunt, Mika?"

Mika didn't answer. He was too tired from dealing with Ferid and this persistent brat on top of it. Yu didn't seem to mind.

"Let's make a deal," continued Yu, making Mika's ears perk up. "Let's go out hunting today and come back by sunset. Whichever one of us has the most success in hunting wins. If I win, you have to hang out with me every day _and_ be nice to me until I leave. If you win, then I promise to leave you alone until I leave. The only times I've been outside here are the night I came and yesterday afternoon. Since you've grown up here, you have the advantage. What do you say?"

Mika felt Yu's hand release him, but he didn't escape. Mika was sore and tired and cranky and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but this offer of Yu's was quite tempting. All Mika had to do was suffer a little longer, and then he could have peace until those guests either left or became wolf chow.

During the pregnant silence, Yu's gaze became more hopeful.

Mika had no idea what Yu was trying so hard to distract him from, but he knew Ferid wouldn't do anything during the daytime. When it came to their "beauty sleep," those monsters were difficult to awaken. Maybe it was Guren whom Yu was trying to keep Mika away from?

Mika really didn't care about the human that much. He wasn't sure what Yu was after and was too tired to give it much thought.

"Fine," agreed Mika with a cold tone of voice. "If I win, you leave me alone for the rest of your stay."

Yu's face brightened up like Christmas came early.

"Deal!" he chirped, unreasonably happy for someone who just made a disadvantageous gamble. Mika was concerned by Yu's reaction and by not knowing Yu's motive, but worrying about that wouldn't help him now. The deal was set. He decided to put his concerns aside and focus on the task at hand.

Mika gathered a pair of modified _kammerlader_ rifles and ammunition for them. They loaded them at the castle, and Yu was skilled enough with the black powder, paper, and bullet to finish loading the gun before Mika walked off into the untamed woods of the outside world without him. Yu inhaled the fresh air, full of the scent of pine, leaves, and earth. It was so much better than the dead, stagnant air of the castle that Yu wondered if Mika had been hiding outside all the times when he couldn't find him.

Yu eyed the blond teen in front of him, observing the calm, practiced stride and the ease with which he directed their course. The perpetually cloudy skies were still light enough to let Mika's golden hair flicker with color reminiscent of sunlight, flattering his pale skin. Mika's muscles weren't lacking. Yu thought it was odd when he first noticed it, but it made sense if Mika spent every day trekking through these woods. The dark blue scarf around Mika's neck seemed unusual for May, but it was cool up in the mountains. Maybe Mika was sensitive to cold? It brought out Mika's alluring light blue eyes as well. If there were any blue in the sky here, Yu would refer to his eyes as sky blue.

Yu watched as Mika casually looked side to side before suddenly directing them to the left. He must have noticed some kind of marker.

Yu observed the shift in Mika's slender shoulders as he adjusted his rifle. He watched Mika's back as he walked, his yearning eyes trailing down to Mika's lower back and waist before settling on—

Mika abruptly turned around, as if sensing Yu's less-than-polite gaze. What did Guren call it? "Observing the scenery"?

Yu abruptly turned his head, a blush beginning to heat up his cheeks.

"You know, you guys sure have a lot of… uh… dead trees around here, huh? Is that because the castle's blocking the light?" rambled Yu suddenly, trying to disguise his guilty expression.

Mika only gave him a quizzical look, as if he weren't used to going out with friends, which, honestly, didn't sound far from the truth. Yu took the opportunity to indulge in Mika's almost perfect face. He had long, pale eyelashes, which were difficult to see unless Yu looked closely. He had skin free of blemishes. His straight nose and soft-looking lips would ignite any artist's desire. Appearance-wise, the only thing Mika seemed to be lacking in was color. He was especially pale today, and his eyes had heavy shadows as if he hadn't slept well. Even his lips were only a pale pink. He looked almost as bad as Kimizuki's chronically ill sister.

Yu briefly wondered how his friends back home were doing.

Too bad Mika's personality wasn't nearly as charming as his looks, making Yu sigh more times in the past week than he could count.

Mika just gazed at him with a confused expression like Yu as a puzzle he couldn't figure out. Yu wasn't sure why Mika seemed so confused all the time, but he sure didn't mind—every time Mika looked at him, it sent his heart aflutter. Even if Mika always appeared befuddled or irritated.

"There isn't much game out here," Mika stated finally, completely ignoring Yu's questions. "If you don't keep from talking, we won't be able to catch anything at all."

"If we can't catch anything today, then can't we just come back out tomorrow?" asked Yu cheerfully.

The bone-chilling icy glare Mika shot at Yu nearly sent Yu's soul into the afterlife. Cold sweat dotted his neck and back as his hairs stood up on end. _Ah… Yup_ , thought Yu timidly with a gulp. _That's a no._

Like usual, Mika ignored him and walked away, increasing the pace to try and leave Yu behind. His distaste was ridiculously obvious, but something about it bothered Yu. It felt out of place, like a boat in a desert.

Mika was rude to him and Guren from the start, treating them as coldly as he could. He spoke as little as possible from day-to-day and only spoke more when he advised them to leave.

 _That's it!_ thought Yu, dodging some brambles and pushing away some lower-lying branches.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance as he followed Mika's back. _He is choosing a more difficult path on purpose, isn't he?_

Yu shook his head, turning back to the conundrum of Mikaela Bathory. If Mika desperately wanted them to leave, then it made sense for him to act like such a jerk. But why would he want them to leave? Unlike what Ferid told Guren early on, Mika obviously wasn't jealous of people spending time with his dad. Mika never bothered Guren when he was with Ferid. If anything, Mika had more confrontations with Yu, even though Yu only ever met the count a couple of times since Guren was so keen on keeping him away from that creepy silver-haired spook. Why was Mika so intent on kicking them out when he had never even met them before? He never answered Yu directly when he asked about it before either. It was like Mika was keeping some kind of big secret.

Yu's head began to hurt. Thinking this hard was really not his thing. Calculating stuff like this was more up Guren and Kimizuki's alley. They were smart. He also had another friend back home named Shinoa. She was cleverer than she acted, so she could probably figure it out. Unfortunately, everything that came from her was a riddle, so Yu avoided asking for her help as much as possible. She was like a witty fox, who loved to use her cunning to cause as much mischief as she could instead of using her intelligence for something useful.

There was also Mitsuba, who was more like Yu in that she acted instinctively and based on her feelings. Ever since she turned sixteen last year, her elite parents had badgered her on getting married. Had she finally found someone suitable since he'd seen her last?

Yu sighed, distracting himself from thinking about his friends by looking at the scenery. He would never tell them—or, at least, never tell Shinoa or Kimizuki—but he missed them.

Yu decided to just follow his instincts, like he always had.

The sound of running water reached his ears.

Some patches of grass became more green than yellow, and tree branches began to have a few leaves and buds decorating their uppermost branches. The dead forest finally shifted toward life, meaning the plant-eaters would begin to appear.

Yu's steps unconsciously grew silent as he readied his rifle, a mischievous glint lighting his eyes as he observed Mika's movement.

Mika was breathing heavy. He wasn't feeling well from the start, but he had arrogantly accepted Yu's offer anyway. Yu tried to hide his smirk, but the corners of his lips curled up roguishly anyhow.

Challenging Mika to a competition had actually been Guren's idea.

"If you win," Guren had explained with a tired expression as he sipped his tea early this afternoon, "then you can bother _him_ for the rest of our stay and leave me alone. If you lose, then at least you can run around outside all day and quit wasting your time with that kid."

Yu never doubted he would win. Even if Mika had the homefield advantage, he was clearly unwell today, which is one reason why Yu chose to challenge him so quickly. Yu didn't know how skilled Mika was at hunting, but, even if Mika were at his best, Yu was certain he could still give him a challenge.

Mika stopped moving for a moment, breathing deeply but turning away from Yu to try and cover up his weariness. Mika was so unreasonably guarded against Yu that it was almost cute. Seeing him cling onto Yu and rely on him would have been nicer, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Mika was clearly planning to walk farther from the castle.

When Yu saw a flash of gold and then a forked tail in bushy shrubs several yards to his left, he rapidly aimed and fired the rifle, feeling the familiar kick of the gun push into his shoulder and marking a tree by the fowl with his eyes. The _bang_ from the gun echoed throughout the wood, surely alerting all the other game and sending them running to their dens.

Yu swung his rifle over his shoulder, holding it by its strap as his shoulder ached from the recoil of the gun.

"I think I got something," he said, turning toward Mika with a delightful smile.

Mika timidly peaked out from behind a tree, his lovely face slightly anxious. His head was so low, he must have been kneeling on the other side. Yu's expression became puzzled. Did Mika get startled when he fired? Did he think Yu was going to shoot him or something?

…Somehow, Yu wasn't certain he wanted the answer to that question.

"Um… Anyway, I will go and, uh, get that," he said, awkwardly gesturing toward the left.

A few hours later, Yu checked his pocket watch before slipping it back into his pocket. The male pheasant he shot earlier hung limply from his waist. It was a pretty bird, round and golden with flecked feathers and a forked tail. This one wasn't as fat as the ones he usually caught, but it made sense if the woods were as sparse of life as Mika claimed.

Although Yu spotted some rare foxes, quail, and hare, he didn't see a need to fire at any of them.

Even granting the fact there was more greenery this far from the castle, it still came across as rather desolate, making Yu feel uneasy. The numerous wolf tracks here and there did nothing to ease Yu's mind, but Mika told him they only came out at night and didn't seem bothered.

Mika's composed attitude helped Yu relax.

Mika hadn't managed to shoot anything yet. His reflexes and stamina simply weren't up to the challenge today. When he aimed his rifle, his aim was unsteady. The prey always fled before he could fire accurately. He had looked ill when Yu woke him up earlier, but now he looked practically half-dead. After moving so much, he was sitting on a log and gasping for breath as he clutched the scarf around his neck. Although his cheeks were flushed from exertion, he was still quite pale.

Yu was impressed Mika had managed to keep walking through mountains like that for so many hours. Mika's stubbornness and willpower were really something else, but Yu was mildly concerned about whether Mika could journey back to the castle without collapsing.

Yu stepped tentatively toward Mika.

"Say, Mika," he began softly.

Mika glared at him once he walked within a couple of yards. Yu stopped.

Just how much did Mika hate to lose? Yu didn't want to imagine the alternative—that Mika simply hated Yu so much, he wanted to put his health at risk like this just to make Yu leave him alone.

"You know," Yu began again, "it's getting late, so maybe we should head back now. You said the woods are dangerous at night, right? You might be able to hunt something on the way back."

Mika's eyes flashed with something akin to alarm, and he quickly looked around their location before rushing past Yu.

 _Apparently, we're going back_ , thought Yu, more than a little apprehensive about Mika's reaction. He was shocked that Mika would give up on their bet so suddenly. Even then, why would Mika make off like the Devil were on his heels?

Yu meekly gazed at the darkening sky overhead and the uncanny mist unfurling around his feet.

Maybe Mika hadn't been lying about the woods being dangerous at night after all. This realization sent an awful prickling sensation running across the back of Yu's neck, and he abruptly chased after his companion.

Yu and Mika rushed back toward the castle. Surprisingly, Yu didn't see or hear any wildlife, not even the chirping of birds, as they headed toward the castle. It was as though the grounds fell into a deathly silence as the sun fell from the sky. Yu instinctively felt more vigilant, feeling as if eyes were watching him. He remembered his ride up the mountain. Back then, he, Guren, and Crowley never even stopped for a bathroom or snack break. During the ride, Crowley never even watered the horses.

Yu looked at Mika, who was running ahead of him. Mika had mustered whatever strength he had left to make this final sprint, but he was undoubtedly exhausted. Since Yu pointed out the time to him earlier, Mika never once stopped to look for game, apparently giving up on their bet.

A thin, bare branch came up on Yu's right, and he swatted it away.

He ran closer to Mika, watching him and trying to not lose his way as their surroundings became enclosed by long shadows and heavy mist, growing more ominous with every step, as if Mika were leading him deep into the thick of it. Was this why Mika said the woods were so dangerous at night? Yu glanced furtively at their surroundings through the corners of his eyes. His heart thudded anxiously in his chest.

Unfortunately, Yu's foot caught on a root as he was watching the surroundings, and he slammed forward onto his knees and hands with a _wumph!_

His knees throbbed, and his hands stung.

The rifle was missing.

 _Shit_ , though Yu, wondering how he was going to get back to the castle in the dark. The howl of a wolf rang out somewhere behind him, making him grope for his rifle, barely grasping its cold metal, before something grabbed his arm and yanked him back to his feet.

Mika's tired, panting face stared straight at him.

Yu's eyes widened. Did Mika just turn back and help him up? Even when Mika was so weary and looked like he could drop any second now? Why? If Mika wanted him to leave the castle so much, why did he do that?

When Yu's heart thudded rapidly in his chest, he wasn't sure if was due to fear or something else.

He struggled to make out Mika's expression in the fading light, but Mika just as quickly turned back around and raced toward the castle. Yu's arm felt warm and tingled where Mika touched it, but a sudden cacophony of howls rang out behind him. He chased after Mika. His chest hurt from the exertion.

Both Yu and Mika had small brambles, twigs, and dirt on their clothes. Yu even had a few light scratches over his hands from their sprint. Small branches and roots _crunched_ underfoot.

Mika glanced back briefly before looked forward. Was he checking to make sure Yu was still behind him?

Yu's heart fluttered at the thought.

He realized fear was not the only trigger of his palpitations tonight.

Finally, the castle was in sight. Yu darted ahead of Mika to reach the heavy double doors. His sweaty hands grabbed one of the old knockers, and he vigorously pulled open one of the doors open, muscles trembling with adrenaline.

Once Yu opened the passage, Mika ran inside ahead of him and sagged against one of the cold stone walls. He carelessly let his rifle clatter to the floor. Not wasting any time, Yu pulled the hefty door closed. He groped for the key behind the knight and its stand before finally locking the door shut. Somehow, he had the uncomfortable feeling that he was only escaping a terrible predator by locking himself in a cage. He put the key back and wiped his filthy, sweaty hands on his pants as he continued panting. As he turned to watch Mika, he focused on catching his breath.

Mika was covered in sweat, his hair and shirt clinging to his skin as he remained standing on trembling legs. He gasped heavily. He had loosened the navy scarf around his neck but hadn't removed it for some reason. Dirt clung to it.

Yu was also covered in sweat and dirt and bits of wildlife, but it only took him half a minute to catch his breath. Mika, on the other hand, looked ashen.

Even so, Mika refused to sit down or rest. Did he hate showing weakness that much? It was obvious how terrible he felt, so Mika wasn't hiding much by being stubborn.

Yu wondered if he had pushed Mika too much by dragging him outside when he was in poor condition.

"Hey, Mika," said Yu tenderly, lightly pinching Mika's sleeve, "let's sit down and catch our breaths, okay?"

Mika glanced at him but was too tired to argue and soon slid down to the floor.

Yu untied the pheasant on his waist (Poor thing was much worse-for-wear after that mad dash through the woods) and sat next to Mika, even though he had already caught his breath and calmed down. He reflected on Mika's actions.

Once dusk struck, Mika reacted with what looked like alarm, but, looking back, it was clearly terror. Even though he was already exhausted, he ran with everything he had in a wild sprint back to the castle. It was as if he were frightened something really would eat them, despite their weapons. Just how vicious were these Transylvanian wolves?

"So," asked Yu, more than a little concerned about these forest-dwelling beasts, "wolves, huh?"

"Wolves," answered Mika after a gasp. "Fast wolves."

Even though Mika looked half-dead, he answered Yu's question, and he answered it without any sass. Yu grinned, nearly forgetting the fright from a moment ago.

"Is that why there aren't any windows on the lower floors of the castle?" asked Yu.

Mika nodded, still looking faint.

Yu gazed warily at the castle door. The old, dark wood was almost as dull as the stone walls snugging its edges. Mika tried hard to make Yu depart from the castle all this time, but Mika still went back and retrieved Yu. He possibly risked his life when beasts sounded so close, they were practically biting leather from Yu's and Mika's soles. It was almost like Mika was trying to protect him, but from what? It wasn't like the wolves could enter the castle, and Yu was usually in the castle when Mika hounded him. In that case, just what was Mika trying to protect him from?

Yu's stomach churned at the thought. Something about this situation just didn't feel right. Even so, as he looked at his dirt-and-sweat-coated companion, Yu felt like he found at least one person he could trust in addition to Guren.

Even though he was sitting within a foot of Mika, Mika didn't chase him off or walk away this time. Yu smiled softly.

Maybe Yu gained something after running away from God-knows-what in a forest of unknowns after all.

"I shot it, so I should prepare and bake it," argued Yu, protecting his pheasant from Mika's reaching hands. Yu had bathed first when the arrived and sneaked into the kitchen to pluck his bird. Mika went to bathe second and returned still breathing hard and moving sluggishly. That was hardly a surprise, considering his mad dash to the castle when he was already sick. Thanks to this, Yu was able to completely pluck the bird naked from his legs to the lower half of his neck by the time Mika returned, even if he had little experience preparing fowl. He had just finished holding the bird over a lit candle to burn out the remaining bits of quill as he tried to remember what Kimizuki, the cooking expert of their dorm, taught him.

Mika glared drowsily at Yu, still looking too exhausted for Yu to want him near fire or anything sharp.

Yu liked the way Mika's damp hair curled around his neck and flushed cheeks. He watched as a drop of water slid down Mika's neck before becoming concealed by a scarf, making Yu salivate for a reason unrelated to food. Mika was wearing a different blue scarf now, which Yu thought was peculiar, but he assumed Mika insisted on wearing scarves today because he hadn't been feeling well.

"Yuichiro," stated Mika firmly, staring at Yu as if their life-risking romp through the woods didn't bond them in the slightest, "the _guests_ don't belong in the kitchen."

"Call me 'Yu!'" stated Yu cheerfully, unable to hold back a wide grin. "I won the bet, so we're friends now!"

Mika froze, if uncertain how to respond.

"Yu," said Mika after a moment, tasting the nickname on his tongue, "get out of the kitchen."

"Nope!" responded Yu with another big smile as he turned back to his bird. He could feel Mika's glare searing into him from behind, but he paid it no mind. As he heard Mika sigh and pull out a stool, Yu triumphantly continued to prepare the bird.

Under Mika's direction, Yu removed the entrails and soaked the bird in cold water for over an hour along with whatever other instructions Mika gave him. For the words Mika didn't know the direct translations for, he described what Yu needed to do, which Yu found to be endearing. Finally, Yu began to season it for baking. After Mika told him how to use the archaic castle oven, he wondered if Mika would be able to stay awake long enough to eat. Yu spotted him leaning awkwardly on the stool once or twice until righting his position. Yu began chopping the vegetables to bake with the bird.

Yu noticed Mika looking at his unevenly chopped carrots and raising an eyebrow, so Yu tried to quickly chop the rest of it.

He knew he did a bad thing when a sharp pain came from his left index finger.

He hissed, looking at the bright red blood gushing from his wound. It dripped onto the carrots, counter, and floor, showing no signs of stopping.

Before he could even get his hand over a sink, Mika was at his side, wrapping a towel around the wound. Yu stiffened in surprise, wondering why Mika had such a concerned expression on his face. Sure, Yu was bleeding some, but it was just a cut.

"The bandages are in the bathroom," said Mika urgently as if Yu had some life-threatening injury. Mika was once again wide-awake and serious. "Come on!"

He yanked Yu forward, and Yu followed, confused but happy. _Maybe_ , he thought, _Mika is just the kind of person who only shows he cares when you're in trouble. Kind of like Kimizuki._

He submitted to Mika's tugging as Mika dragged him to the bathroom, and he sat obediently on a bench as Mika pulled out box of medical supplies. He watched, flinching as Mika rinsed off the wound with antiseptic and then soon wrapped the cut with a white bandage. A lot of white bandage.

Yu blinked. Although the cut was a little deep, the bleeding had definitely been staunched. His finger was soon wrapped so snuggly, he had no doubt no more blood would escape onto anything until he freed his finger. He could barely flex his appendage and thought that, despite Mika's skillful and speedy bandaging, this was a little excessive.

Was Mika scared of blood or something?

 _Nah_ , thought Yu to himself, answering his own query. _If Mika were so scared of blood, he wouldn't have jumped in like that. He would've fled from the kitchen instead._

He watched as Mika's expressions shifted between fear, concern, and urgency. Mika turned to the bloody kitchen towel, paying at least as much attention to it as he had to Yu. It was as though Mika were just as concerned about the towel as he was about Yu!

Yu didn't know whether to feel frustrated or grateful. Considering how happily his arm, hand, and wrist felt after Mika touched it all over, he decided to go with grateful.

"Th-Thank you, Mika," muttered Yu with a faint blush.

He glanced up at Mika from under his dark eyelashes, watching the other boy as he scrubbed blood from the towel if going to war. It was hard to believe this was the same person who nearly collapsed after their hunt, considering how much vigor he displayed.

Yu remembered when Mika turned back and grabbed his arm in the woods earlier. His blush deepened, growing to his ears. Yu leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs and faced the ground to hide his face.

A light knock came from the door.

"Mika, is that you?" drawled a female voice with a thick German accent. The staff was plainly still practicing their English.

With a _tsk_ , Mika turned off the water.

"Let this soak," stated Mika, abruptly drying his hands and alerting Yu to attention. Mika's expression was unusually grave. Just how much did he dislike blood? "Continue to bake the bird like I told you to."

Mika moved to the exit as Yu realized what Mika had just said. Mika opened the bathroom door and stepped outside, moving to shut the door behind him.

"Wait!" said Yu, quickly putting his foot between the door and its frame. He looked at Mika with wide, innocent eyes full of yearning. "You _are_ going to come back to eat, right?"

Mika stood uncomfortably between Yu and the maid outside. Given the woman's height and a flicker of dark hair, Yu deduced it was Chess, the chipper, shorter maid who showed Yu and Guren to their rooms on their first night here.

"Heh," came Chess's voice in a sing-song tone. "Is that our dear… Yu?" she asked with an oddly-placed giggle.

Yu wasn't sure what was wrong, but a chill suddenly shot up his back. He wasn't sure why, but he immediately recalled the wolves in the forest and wished he had a gun in his hand.

"I'm not sure," answered Mika after a pause. "I have some urgent business to attend to."

Mika moved to shut the door again. For some reason, it seemed like he was hiding the woman from Yu's sight. Or was it the other way around?

"Mika, don't forget!" said Yu, feeling increasingly uneasy. "You agreed to spend time with me tomorrow!"

Mika reluctantly nodded, eyes surprisingly somber, and shut the door all the way.

Yu stood in the bathroom, waiting and listening as he heard some faint mumbling in German. A nagging feeling ate as his heart, making him feel unreasonably concerned. Chess wasn't a wolf and Mika certainly wasn't a lamb, so why was he so worried? And weren't men traditionally the wolves in these scenarios anyway?

Yu paced uncomfortably behind the door, torn between chasing after Mika and following Mika's wishes. What was his relationship with Chess? Was she his girlfriend or something? She sounded elated, so she was probably just drunk or something.

Right. Or something.

Yu shook off his ridiculous suspicions, knowing just how absurd it was for him to act like this.

Whatever. He won the bet. Even if Mika didn't show up for the food, Yu would see him tomorrow.

Yu wished he could truly believe that, but that tight sensation in his chest didn't leave him for the rest of the night. The bird tasted dry and bland, and Guren teased him about it. Yu didn't respond with more than a grunt. Somehow, no matter how much Yu ate, he still felt empty.

"Heheheheh… Mika dear," purred Chess in German, her pupils grossly dilated, "I smell something tasty…"

She let Mika push her to the stairway, glancing back thirstily at the restroom.

She stiffened against Mika's hands, refusing to budge any further. "Mikaaa," she cooed, quickly spinning around to face him, sending her skirts a flutter. She gently drew circles on his shirt with a finger. She pressed her soft breasts against him, giving him quite a view of the twin hills on her chest and the valley between them. She lustfully leaned against him, panting heavily. Mika wondered if she acted this way because she was thirsty or if she wanted to seduce him. After all, Chess had as little need to breathe as Ferid.

"C'mon, Mikaaa," she panted, seductively licking her ruby lips. "You don't even like him…"

She grasped his warm hand with her icy fingers and slowly made his hand draw a trail down her cheek to her succulent neck and across her white clavicle. When she steadily moved his hand even lower while batting her thick eyelashes at him, Mika finally yanked his hand away, attempting to rub the deathly cold out of them.

"No," he said simply, as if he had the power to stop her from feasting at will. He knew the only thing keeping her restrained was Ferid's favoritism toward Mika.

"But I'm simply _dying_ of thirst," she pleaded playfully, wrapping her arms around his waist and embracing him in a hug. Mika leaned away, but he could do nothing to break free of her unyielding grip.

"Let's make a deal," he whispered, abruptly feeling her perk up to attention. He just hoped this scheme would turn out better than the deal he made earlier that day.

Her predatory eyes locked onto him, red with lethal thirst.

She stood on her tip toes, moving her mouth closer to his as if to kiss him.

"Ohh…?" she purred.

"You can…" began Mika before pausing as he tried to figure out how to phrase this. "I'll let you have a bite, so let's go upstairs first," he continued, shifting his body against her weight to block her from heading back to the bathroom with Yu and the bloody towel.

"Okay!" she agreed merrily, pressing her lips against his as she quivered with hunger.

Mika heard a door open.

Grabbing his hand, Chess pulled him up the stairs after her as if taking her lover upstairs for a late-night rendezvous. Despite her excitement, she still moved slowly enough to fit a human's pace.

Mika sighed, wondering why he was protecting that annoying foreigner downstairs and if he would survive the night.

The petite temptress led Mika into a lounge and locked the door behind them. The howls of wolves sang through the open window in an evocative chorus. Unlike Yu, Mika was so used to their sad music, it was almost comforting. What he was far more concerned about were the creatures in the room with him.

The residents had playfully lit a few candles along the walls, bring faint warm light to the room.

Horn, the taller blond maid with large breasts and curves in all the right places sat next to the window as she played chess against Crowley, the muscular coachman with the mahogany braid. They looked up from their match at the unexpected guests.

"Chess, dear," asked Horn, her German elegant and proper, "aren't you supposed to be cleaning the rooms and making the beds for Ferid's guests? He likes a kept home when humans are afoot."

"I was," began Chess sheepishly, "but…" She interlaced her fingers with Mika's. His expression was only bored and tired.

Horn looked at Chess's blown pupils and sighed.

"You're this thirsty already?" she admonished. "Didn't you feed earlier?"

"B-But," replied Chess, sweetly twisting her hips as she leaned into Mika, "you know, animal blood isn't nearly as good as human blood…"

There was a _clack_ as Crowley moved his knight across the chessboard.

"It's fine as long as Mika's agreed to it," rang out Crowley's deep voice, making the two women look placidly at him. Horn's mouth straightened and returned her attention back to the game. She moved a bishop and took Crowley's knight.

Crowley winced.

"Just be careful," he added, contemplating the chess board. "Mika belongs to Ferid after all. If you're too rough, he'll punish you."

"Okay!" Chess answered cheerfully. She began leading Mika to the sofa, her cold fingers on his hand making him shiver.

"Once your chores are done," added Crowley, ignoring the scene as Mika lied on the sofa and Chess climbed on top of him, "you can live up to your name and challenge Horn to _chess_ , Chess." He replaced the German word with English. He and Horn had been teasing her about her name ever since Ferid decided to move to England.

Horn covered her scarlet lips with an elegant hand as she chuckled lightly.

"I haven't won against her once tonight," said Crowley forlornly as he peered at the game board.

Mika laid back willingly as Chess crawled on top of him, erotically sliding one knee between his legs. She loosened his scarf and steadily unbuttoned his shirt. He glowered at her but didn't resist. She leaned over him, her breasts stretching the fabric of her gown and flashing Mika with a view that he was sure sent many mortals to their deaths.

"I'm better than that creepy ol' Ferid, aren't I, Mika?" she asked, lying on top of him as she parted her moist lips to reveal her fangs. Mika felt her dark hair tickle his chin as she gently flicked her tongue against the base of his neck, kissing it and then sucking lightly. The soft lumps of her chest rested on him. Then, she slowly, very slowly, dug her fangs into him, making him tremble.

As she drank his blood and the familiar, wicked euphoria overcame him, he shifted and gasped. Delighted, Chess pierced him more deeply. After she gulped without restraint for several moments, he became overwhelmed with lightheadedness and pushed against Chess, warning her it was time to stop.

She grabbed his wrists tightly, making him wince as she held him down and pushed against him more firmly. His pulse throbbed weakly against her hold, and his hands went numb.

As the woman, far too excited for this situation, squirmed on top of him, Mika's vision faded to black.

Just why had he decided to protect that guy? Getting drained two nights in a row was really…

The next day, Yu uneasily checked his time piece as he paced up and down the hall. Although it was already 5 pm, Mika had neither left his room nor responded to Yu's knocks.

Yu's gut twisted as he suspected something was very, very wrong.


	7. 15 May 1897, Afternoon

15 May 1897, Afternoon.

When Yu's silver pocket watch struck two and there still wasn't food on the table, he strutted through the dining room, octagonal room, and hallway with the bedrooms. He was proud to notice he hadn't gotten lost in the slightest this time. He pounded ferociously on Mika's door.

"Mika!" he called loudly. "It's mealtime! Rise and shine! Up and at 'em!"

With a mischievous grin stretching across his face, he patiently crouched outside of Mika's door. He waited silently and listened for any sound. The moment Mika opened that door, Yu would jump up and surprise him. Yesterday, Mika was groggy when he first got up, so this would probably be when he was most vulnerable.

Yu really wasn't the type to pull pranks or try to scare people, but, somehow, when he tried to picture Mika's surprised expression, he couldn't help himself.

As he waited, he carefully unwound the bandage Mika had bound his index finger with the day before. It seemed more like an aborted mummification than simple first-aid. His finger was a bit sweaty, but there was nothing but a little scab now. Yu was still perplexed by how thoroughly Mika had attended to the cut. Even if it had been bleeding quite a lot at first, Mika appeared surprisingly alarmed back then.

Yu flexed and extended his finger lightly after he tossed the bandage in the restroom trash. He then began to examine the animal heads, rugs, and paintings in more detail than he ever cared for.

And so, fifteen minutes passed.

Yu stretched his tense muscles and paced up and down the hall. He put his ear near Mika's door but didn't hear a single sound. He assumed Mika hadn't woken up yet, but a growing sense of horror encroached upon him, tracing feelers of icy dread through his gut and up his spine.

He knocked on the door and repeated this act thrice more, becoming increasingly frantic with each attempt. He idly wondered if his hand would bruise.

It was after three in the afternoon, and Mika hadn't made a sound, even when Yu racked his door with his loudest knocks.

Yu paced outside Mika's door, full of worry and concern. He frowned, putting his thumb to his teeth and gnawing on the nail subconsciously. Mika was the only resident Yu ever encountered during the daytime, and he didn't know where the servant quarters were. He didn't know where Ferid rested either. Yu wanted to break into Mika's room, but he couldn't risk Guren's business deal.

Scowling, he hunted down Guren, who was back in the library, making notes on that ancient tome again.

"Guren, Mika's not up yet," stated Yu without preamble.

"Then, isn't he just sleeping?" asked Guren, unconcerned. He didn't look up.

"He's not responding to my knocks."

"Maybe he's not sleeping in that room."

That response made Yu's worried expression slacken with surprise.

"What makes you say that?" asked Yu. "He hasn't slept anywhere else since we've been here, right?"

"Well, one of the maids looked real hot and bothered. She kissed him and dragged him up the stairs last night, so maybe he spent the night with his lover," stated Guren carelessly, never once moving his eyes from his book.

Yu felt like he swallowed a gallon of freezing ice water and then took in a mouthful of salt. Nausea overwhelmed his senses at Guren's words. A cold sweat dripped down his neck as his jaw tensed and heart began to race.

Mika? With his lover, the maid?

He opened his mouth to ask Guren what he meant, but Guren beat him to it.

"Yu, I said you should become friends with him to make a connection because he is the count's son," said Guren, cold violet eyes slowly turning from his books to look at Yu for the first time. His sharp gaze made Yu wince. Dread filled Yu's heart as he realized what Guren was about to say. "I did _not_ say you should become so enamored with him that you forget your place… Eventually, we'll return to England. Even if the count moves there, it doesn't mean you'll encounter that boy again. You can check him out all you want, look at him as much as you desire—heck, you can even try seducing him, and I won't care—but you _cannot_ let yourself fall for him. More than one man has fallen into ruin after being used by his crush. It's fine if you use him, but you mustn't become a victim."

"W-What's so wrong with falling for him?" asked Yu. His mouth was dry, and he had a hard time talking. He felt like a marble was caught in his throat.

Guren waited a moment, organizing his thoughts as he slowly tapped a finger on the tome.

"The count's lineage is… old. He is a purebred noble. As such, he knows how to gain power and how to keep it through any number of nasty means. You should consider the count to be a dangerous individual," explained Guren slowly.

"What does that have to do with Mika?"

"You think he wouldn't use his own son as a pawn? If Ferid can use Mika to control you, then why wouldn't he?"

"Mika's not that kind of guy."

"Who said Mika had a choice?" Guren raised his eyebrow. "And since when did you know what Mika's like?"

"Er," mumbled Yu, quickly dropping eye contact as a blush raced up his face. "When we went hunting yesterday… and… Uh… He just doesn't seem like such a bad guy…"

Guren gave Yu a sympathetic smile.

"Yuichiro," continued Guren calmly, "when you're only around one person, that one person can seem like the world to you. You may love that person with your entire being, no matter what happens. You may even be willing to destroy the world for him—or _her_ ," he continued gently. Yu nearly rolled his eyes when Guren once again suggested Yu might hook up with a woman. "Once you're back in civilization and around more people, you'll see that there are many other attractive people out there, ones with much less baggage. If we were in a city with many other people, then would you even bother speaking to a rude recluse like the count's son?"

Yu thought for a moment.

"You wouldn't," answered Guren for him, "because there are easier people to make friends with."

The heavy air felt suffocating. Yu balled his fingers into fists.

"But we're not in a city," said Yu finally, "and Mika is here, and I decided to be his friend. I don't want to exchange him for someone else."

Guren sighed. "Whatever. You don't even know if Mika likes men…"

Anger burned Yu's shoulders at Guren's disregard for Mika's welfare, but he breathed slowly, taking deep breaths as he unclenched his fingers. Guren was always callous toward others, especially those who didn't work under the Ichinose. Even when Guren was with his friends, he came across as cold-blooded, but Yu knew he cared more than he let on. Even if his words were cruel, Yu felt like Guren was trying to protect him. He just felt like Guren wasn't being entirely honest about why he wanted Yu to have a close-but-not-to-close relationship with Mika.

Even though Guren was being an ass, he did it to protect Yu. With that thought, Yu's anger cooled. He had more questions than answers, but he made a decision. Yu exhaled before speaking again, and Guren patiently waited for him.

"I'm going to judge Mika for myself," stated Yu resolutely.

When Guren saw that Yu's stubborn side rise up, he could only sigh. He paused before changing the subject. He combed his fingers through his slick black hair as he thought.

"Anyway, if Mika is out of commission," he asked slowly, "then how are we going to eat?"

"Why don't we ask for one of the servants to do the cooking?" asked Yu tentatively, wondering why Guren didn't propose such an obvious solution.

"No," said Guren without hesitation.

Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Guren glanced off to the side sheepishly before answering.

"One night, I was up late and asked one of the maids to make a snack… Let's just say that, when Mika said no one else in this castle could make edible food," continued Guren, his expression growing dark, " _he wasn't joking_."

The air grew heavy, and Yu's empty stomach lashed out with a pang.

"What exactly did she cook?" asked Yu, becoming concerned.

"I asked the tall maid to make some toast with jam since she seemed to be the more serious and cautious one. There wasn't a problem with the jam, but the bread was burnt so black, I couldn't bite into it. It was like chewing on a brick," elaborated Guren with a severe expression. After a dramatic pause, he added, " _And she didn't understand why I wouldn't eat it_."

Yu shuddered, picturing the one time his female friends tried to cook breakfast for the boys but set the kitchen on fire instead. Black smoke was billowing out of the house by the time the boys arrived. Shinoa ran around like a headless chicken as she screamed about water, and Mitsuba held the flaming pan away from her but was too stunned too put it down. The boys never let them forget it and never let them into the kitchen unsupervised again.

"I see," replied Yu, deciding he wasn't going to ask any more questions about that. "Then…. I guess we'll just have to cook, huh?"

Guren grew still.

Yu thought as a rare epiphany slowly hit him. He recalled all his past meals with Guren. During their trips, they always bought food or ate things that didn't require cooking. At home, Guren was the heir of a prestigious family going back several centuries, so he always had cooks to personally prepare food for him. Even when they had a rare picnic, someone always brought the food to him.

Despite all the time Yu spent with Guren he had never, not even once, seen Guren make the slightest attempt at cooking.

"Guren," said Yu very slowly, "do you know how to cook?"

Silence weighed heavy in the air, and Yu's stomach ached as a sense of foreboding overcame him.

After a short while, Yu went to the kitchen. He was confused when he found fresh cream, eggs, and bread since they hadn't been there last night and none of the servants were up during the daytime. He just scratched his head, deciding to not think too much about it and focus on the task at hand.

His eyes moved from the ancient stove to the pantry to the counter.

When Yu watched Kimizuki cook before, it hadn't involved equipment as old as this.

Yu gulped. He and Guren's stomachs were on the line…

That day, Yu and Guren ate scrambled eggs. Yu wasn't sure what he did wrong, but they came out brown and yellow and were runnier than any eggs he'd ever eaten before. How they were simultaneously burnt and runny, Yu didn't know, but he was able to swallow them down. When given the option of going hungry, eating the gross-looking eggs, or attempting to cook, even Guren couldn't complain. Even though the food made him wince, he ate several spoonfuls of the goo and burnt eggs.

Guren said this food was still better than what the maid cooked. The idea made Yu tremble with anxiety.

At five o'clock, his stomach still slightly queasy from his mid-afternoon breakfast, Yu returned to hammering on Mika's door. Had Mika really stayed out all night with his lover? The nausea in his stomach grew as he thought about it. The maids were both attractive and showing off their assets, so it shouldn't have been a surprise if a young noble were sleeping around with his maids, right? Considering how exhausted Mika appeared yesterday, lust really must have really awakened his stamina…

Yu tried valiantly to come up with coy jokes when he saw Mika again, all complete with some variation of sexual innuendo he'd heard back home. Even so, these thoughts weren't enough to distract him, and his lewd puns soon died on his lips.

He paced up and down the hall as anxious as could be. He frowned, checking his time piece for the fifth time in just as many minutes.

With a sigh, he hammered his fist on Mika's door once more.

"MIKAAA! MIKA, MIKA, MIKA!" he howled, firming his resolve. "If you don't come out, I'm coming in!"

Mika slept deeply in the type of exhausted sleep in which one rarely moved until gasping and rolling over with aching muscles. He was too tired to move. Ferid's guests could serve themselves for once or else just wait until he felt rested.

He was just so, _so_ tired…

Being drained by those monsters always made him feel sore, exhausted, and thirsty. He knew he was thirsty because he was dehydrated and anemic, but he really didn't care for the irony of it all. It took a while for the consequent bruise with a pair of distinct pinprick-like puncture wounds to completely heal as well, so he always had to make an effort to conceal them when human guests were around. Of course, once the residents here decided the humans were more useful as snacks than whatever they were invited here for, they never lived for more than a few nights and soon died from severe blood loss. This was why Ferid was cautious and only drank blood from Mika every two weeks at most. That said, Ferid seemed to be drinking more lately and drained Mika so much on his birthday a couple of weeks ago that he could hardly walk in a straight line the day after.

Mika's hair tickled his face uncomfortably, and he squirmed.

He slowly blinked before rolling over and facing a pair of worried, familiar green eyes.

 _The monsters here have red eyes, not green_ , thought Mika, still quite asleep. Blinking slowly, he realized why that face looked so familiar. The face grinned, and Mika suddenly felt the most awake he'd been since the night before.

"Yuichiro, what are you—" began Mika before being interrupted by the intruder.

"It's 'Yu,'" corrected Yuichiro happily. Yu's hand was resting on Mika's forehead. "You feel awfully clammy, Mika."

Mika jerked back, not forgetting to pull his sheets up to conceal his bruised neck. With only his head sticking out and the rest of him swamped with blankets, he wondered just how ridiculous he looked.

Yu stood next to Mika's bed. When Mika shrank back, the corners of Yu's lips curled up.

 _I really must look ludicrous like this_ , concluded Mika, replacing his expression of surprise with a glower.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Mika, unamused by how dry his mouth and throat felt. "Get out."

"I said I'd come in if you didn't come out," stated Yu as he cheerfully gestured to himself, "and here I am! Besides, you said you'd hang out with me every day, so you can't kick me out."

Mika looked at him with confusion, trying to figure out how Yu decided "hanging out" meant Yu could barge into Mika's room uninvited any time he pleased.

 _I knew I should have murdered him_ , thought Mika with annoyance, flattening his expression with an unamused gaze.

Yu lifted the chair from Mika's desk and placed it next to Mika's bed.

"Mika, how are you feeling today? It's already evening," said Yu softly, plopping down on the chair. It was almost like he was genuinely concerned. It was endearing, really, this odd behavior of his.

"Fine," lied Mika, his voice hoarse.

Yu responded with an awkward silence and a stiff facial expression.

"Okay!" chirped Yu after a moment. "Since you said you're feeling so crappy, I'm going to prepare some tea for you. Be right back," he finished before skipping from the room, leaving the door open for all to see.

Mika's eye twitched as he buried himself deeper under the blankets.

 _Damn those bloodsuckers_ , he cursed silently, blaming them for this humiliating situation.

Although he had no idea why Yu seemed so happy about making tea, he knew he had to change his clothes quickly before Yu got back. Although he was nearly too weak to care, he didn't want Yu pointing out he hadn't changed and then questioning him about it. Mika could just lie and stay he stayed up late to take care of something and didn't go to bed until after dawn. He could say that he was too exhausted to undress before bed last night. He had a feeling of foreboding that, should he give Yu the slightest leverage, he would overwhelm Mika with his excessively willful nosiness. Perhaps it was just intuition, but he trusted it more than anything and certainly more than anyone at this estate.

Mika shucked the blankets off and stood up slowly, putting one hand against his nightstand as he used it to steady himself. The edges of his vision faded into gray, and black cobwebs started crawling in from the gray. After a moment, color returned. His vision became a little blurry and flickered in and out of focus, but he was still standing.

Mika walked as quickly as he dared to the door, but his gait was wobbly. He used his hands to steady himself by touching a wall or furniture as he moved.

He began shutting the door with every intention of locking Yu out and earning himself a moment of privacy, but the door suddenly smacked into him.

"Surprise! I brewed the tea earlier, so there was no need to wait," came the obnoxious, guilt-free voice of the culprit.

Mika crashed to the ground. His butt ached as the room spun around him.

 _I really hate him_ , thought Mika, putting his hand to his head, as if that would make him any less lightheaded.

"Eh?" asked Yu innocently, with a tea set resting on a platter in his arms. "What are you doing on the floor, Mika?"

Mika's pale blue eyes glared at him. Utterly unfazed, Yu set the platter on the desk.

"If you needed to get something off the ground, you could've just asked me," said Yu, as if that were an option.

 _Yeah, right_ , scoffed Mika internally. He didn't trust Yu even remotely.

"Right, then!" said Yu, suddenly gleeful now that his arms were free. He flexed his fingers and then reached his arms toward Mika. "Let me help you up."

Alarmed, Mika sprang up to his feet.

"I'm fine," he stated abruptly as the world around him was suddenly engulfed by darkness. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. _Oh_ , he thought as his legs grew weak and his senses dulled. He heard Yu's fading voice call out his name as he collapsed before silence consumed him.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Mika blinked up at the familiar, blurry ceiling above him.

"Oh, God! Mika, are you okay?!" asked Yu. His wide green eyes were so close to Mika's face that he couldn't help but squirm.

"Fine," muttered Mika weakly. He wrinkled his eyebrows when he felt the bedsheets under him. Did Yu move him to the bed after he fainted? _What a waste of effort_ , he criticized silently as he eyed the intruder. Didn't Yu realize Mika would've woken up just fine if he were left alone?

"I was so worried! Don't do that! If you need anything, I'll get it for you!" rambled Yu, his expression slightly panicked.

Mika still wasn't sure what Yu's aim was, but he was a decent actor.

"I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't attacked me," stated Mika flatly. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He was really so tired…

When he opened his eyes again, Yu had a puzzled expression.

"Attack you?" asked Yu, confused. "I was only going to help you up."

Right. Mika supposed that might be true... Yu caught him lying vulnerable and unconscious twice so far, so it wasn't like Yu needed to take advantage of him while he was awake… Well, it didn't matter.

"I don't need your help," he stated, not understanding why Yu wouldn't leave him alone.

"Too bad," said Yu, clearly unconcerned about Mika's opinion. The smile he gave made Mika's gut twist with discomfort. He recalled what Guren said about Yu being "more stubborn than a mule" and his recommendation about just giving in.

Mika scowled as Yu disregarded him and poured him a cup of tea.

Uneasily sitting up, Mika sniffed the tea carefully. He didn't smell anything unusual. Although he was mildly concerned it might be drugged or tainted with a small amount of alcohol, he decided to take the risk instead of spending the rest of his evening with Yu badgering him.

He tasted the tea carefully. _Oh, it's tainted, alright_ , thought Mika as he cringed. The tea was so burnt, its bitter taste made his taste buds shrivel. He glanced wearily at Yu, who returned his gaze with a beaming smile. Somehow, he suspected—

"I made it!" said Yu proudly. "Not bad, is it?"

Yes, Yu had brewed the tea himself. Mika turned his weary eyes to the drink, wondering if Yu had tasted the stuff before daring to serve it.

"It… It could be worse," mumbled Mika as he tried to remember the last time someone gave him something to drink or eat without him ordering it on an outing. It must have been years ago, before he became Ferid's pet and was brought to live at the castle. The monsters here had long forgotten what human food was supposed to be like, so they never showed him small kindnesses.

After a moment, Mika drank the rest of the tea in the cup.

It could be worse.

Although he knew Yu must have had an ulterior motive, part of him felt touched by Yu's gesture. A very, very small part, he decided.


	8. 15 May 1897, Evening

15 May 1897, Evening.

Yu watched as Mika's expression shifted. At first, Yu thought he saw Mika flinch when he tasted the tea. For a moment, Yu was worried he'd done something wrong while making the tea, but, since Mika said it could be worse, he figured it was alright. Yu's words immediately released the tension from Yu's shoulders. Mika was so uptight, if he said anything nice, it had to be true.

Once Mika downed his cup, Yu eagerly refilled it. Mika immediately began gulping it down.

Yu tilted his head as he watched Mika swallow the tea so breathlessly.

Curious about just how good this tea was for Mika to drink so much of it, Yu poured himself a cup. He tipped the cup to his lips, taking in a large mouthful and swishing it around. A flood of bitterness overwhelmed his taste buds, making him gag and nearly spit it out.

 _This tea is burnt_ , he deduced, cringing and trembling as he forced himself to swallow. Tears welled at the corners of his eyes. _Very seriously burnt._

Who could ingest anything this bitter?!

 _This stuff_ , he thought decisively, _is absolutely not fit for human consumption._

Yu turned his attention back to Mika. His eyes widened in horror as Mika tipped the rest of that vile beverage into his mouth, finishing his second cup gracefully and with more willpower than Yu could imagine.

Yu's mouth fell open in shock as he leaned away from the beast who could drank such bitter tea so easily. Mika's manliness was at a much higher level than Yu ever anticipated! And since when was Mika nice enough to pretend something so awful tasted so good?

Mika's mouth didn't smile, but his eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement.

"You… You," stuttered Yu, struggling to comprehend the situation before him. "Quit drinking that! Why are you drinking that?! That tea is revolting! Seriously revolting! It's tea that will be remembered in infamy! This stuff should only be used as part of a punishment game!"

"Thirsty," said Mika softly, his voice no longer as hoarse as before.

"I don't know who brought it in, but I think I saw some milk in the kitchen. I'll be right back," said Yu urgently. He snatched the empty teacup from Mika's hand and placed both of them on the platter with the teapot. He started to walk out of the room but, after a thought, he abruptly returned and grabbed the platter with the tea set. He decided to take it with him to the kitchen to keep Mika from drinking more. After all, Mika's condition was clearly _not_ normal.

The thought of Mika ingesting any more of that repulsive fluid made Yu tremble with disgust. The tea was so bad, even Yu felt shame. Even though Guren only said to be friendly with Mika for the sake of business, he couldn't let anyone he didn't hate drink something like that!

…Well, except for maybe Guren.

And Yu somehow had the horrifying feeling that Mika really would drink more of it if he left it in the room unguarded.

Minutes later, Yu raced back from the kitchen, a pair of cool milk bottles in either hand. When he passed through the octagonal room, he quickly jumped up as he spotted a pair of legs out of the corner of his eye and stumbled.

Yu spun on his feet before regaining his balance, feeling grateful for the lids on the milk.

He shot an accusatory glare at Mika, who was sitting on the floor and leaning against a wall. He looked awfully disheveled, sitting there in yesterday's clothes. Yu was late to notice it, but he wasn't surprised that Mika hadn't changed, given how awful he looked.

"What are you doing up? I said I'd be right back!" said Yu with a scowl, feeling out of place as the one doing the scolding rather than the one being scolded.

Mika's weary blue eyes gazed up at him with a bemused but tired expression.

"Had to," he panted, obviously having overexerted himself before Yu arrived, "use the toilet."

Yu looked at Mika with an accusatory expression, but his anger melted the more he saw.

Mika's messy bed hair reminded Yu of a fluffy, yellow chick. Yu suddenly felt an urge to ruffle Mika's unkept hair. Instead, he grasped the milk bottles more tightly. Mika's clothes were wrinkled and unbuttoned, in a complete disarray after sleeping in them. Yu thought this sloppy appearance was surprisingly refreshing. Mika looked nice with his wavy hair always brushed smooth and cleanly-pressed clothes, but this roughed-up bedhead look wasn't bad either. Yu recalled Mika's appearance after they fled through the woods. Even though Mika's hair had been plastered to his face and neck with sweat and he had been covered with leaves, twigs, and dirt, his appearance still made Yu's heart race. He wondered how Mika would look dressed other ways.

Or undressed.

Feeling a brush rising up his cheeks, Yu placed the cool milk bottles against them.

Mika raised an eyebrow at him and turned his head as he looked up at Yu, his breathing rapidly improving from a moment before. From this angle, Yu was able to see down Mika's collar to the curve of one of his collarbones.

Yu pushed the cool milk bottles more firmly against his cheeks.

 _Head out of the gutter_ , he commanded himself. How could he be thinking like that toward a sick guy?

"Have you rested up, Mika? Let's go back to your room," he said. He reached one hand out to Mika before realizing both his hands were full. "Wait," he mumbled and awkwardly glanced at his hands before lighting up like a brilliant idea hit him. "I'll go put these in your room and then come back to get you, so stay put!"

Yu ran to Mika's room, hoping the exercise would clear his head a bit. He placed the bottles on the nightstand as he sighed to himself. No matter how cute Mika was, wasn't it rude to stare at him like that when he looked half-dead?

Yu took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on regaining his self-control. After a moment, he exhaled and stepped into the hall.

Where was the sick patient who Yu had repeatedly told to stay put? Wobbling down the hall toward Yu, awkwardly dodging deer heads and other decorations as he leaned unsteadily against the wall.

"Mika!" growled Yu as he stormed over to the noble brat. "Why are you up again?"

"I don't… need your help," said Mika simply as he panted for breath, as if that explained anything.

Flabbergasted, Yu put his hands on his hips and tilted his head. Yu wasn't sure just what kind of mental defect this wastrel had, but could pride really carry someone to push his health so much? Somehow, it felt more like Mika was driven by fear rather than hubris.

After spending so much time with Mika yesterday, Yu still didn't understand it but believed Mika was not as obscenely proud as he first appeared. Mika had agreed to a bet with him and didn't stay outside in danger just to win. He didn't even argue about it after they got back, despite the fact that Yu took advantage of Mika's poor condition to win.

As Yu pondered, he walked patiently by Mika's side. Although Mika was tottering, Yu didn't touch him and only stood within catching distance.

There was something odd about Mika. Although he acted so defensively all the time that he was practically as prickly as a porcupine, it didn't make sense for him to be so on guard against his father's guests. It was almost like he was raised having to rely on himself and only on himself or else the consequences would be dire. Yu recognized the sentiment since he himself grew up with no one to rely on, but why would Count Bathory's child be raised like that?

Yu recalled Guren's words about the count being from an old family, and his gut churned with unease. Just what exactly was Ferid and Mika's relationship?

Suddenly, Mika lost his balance, distracting Yu from his thoughts. Yu shuffled up to him, but Mika righted himself before Yu could grab him. Yu unhappily pulled his hands back, still longing to touch Mika even briefly.

He wasn't sure why Mika was so wary, but he was determined to find out before he and Guren left. So what if Mika might not like men? How could Yu leave a friend alone when something was clearly wrong?

They finally reached Mika's room, and Mika just barely reached his bed before dropping on it, completely out of breath.

Somehow, Yu had the feeling Mika had done this before.

Yu sat across from Mika, sitting in the chair he pulled out earlier.

"You really don't look so good, Mika," he said, trying to enlighten his stubborn companion about his condition.

Mika rewarded him with another glare.

Yu felt like Mika was almost as obstinate as him. Almost.

Yu lowered his gaze with a sigh and noticed a couple of bruise marks on Mika's neck. His eyes locked onto them as his fingernails dug into his knees. He remembered Guren's words about Mika snogging one of the maids last night.

"Mika," said Yu, his tone more irritable than he intended, "what's that on your neck?"

Mika's expression suddenly turned serious, and he quickly covered his neck with a hand, making him look even more suspicious. Yu's gut clenched, but he breathed deeply.

"Is that from your girlfriend?"

Mika appeared confused.

"You know, your… lover. The person you want to marry and have children with… You were with Chess late last night," prodded Yu, trying to remain calm.

"Oh," said Mika with a relieved tone as he suddenly realized what Yu meant. "I don't have that kind of relationship with her."

"She was kissing you," interjected Yu more snappily than he intended as he prayed Guren was wrong.

"She was drunk," said Mika, stating his words carefully. "She came after me. She would have gotten you, too, if she could. In the end, she caused so much trouble, Horn slapped her, and Crowley had to lift her up by her arms to restrain her."

Yu's tension left his body, making him feel limp.

"Oh, so you're not," started Yu, "not uh…"

"She's not my lover. Neither Chess nor Horn is. You better not pursue them either since they—"

"Okay!" agreed Yu happily before Mika could finish. Yu wasn't attracted to them. Even though Guren occasionally "admired the scenery," he avoided romantic entanglements. It was for completely different reasons than Yu, but Yu had no doubts Guren wouldn't be dating anyone anytime soon.

"Does this mean you aren't dating anyone, Mika? Me neither!" said Yu with a clumsy-looking grin as he tried to avoid smiling too hard. His heart rapidly pitter-pattered in his chest.

Mika gazed at him with a perplexed expression before he redirected their conversation.

"Anyway, Chess caused so much trouble, she was punished with toilet duty for the rest of the month."

"Toilet duty?" asked Yu, trying to bring his excitement back down to earth.

"Yes. She has to clean the bathroom for the rest of the month," repeated Mika, explaining it slowly like he was speaking to a child.

"Wait," said Yu, the gears in his head turning slowly. "If she has to clean the restroom _now_ , then who has been cleaning it all this time? I mean, it's been well-kept. Was the other maid cleaning it?"

"No," said Mika with a deadpan expression. "I was."

So, every time Yu or Guren missed the target or had some wild drops, the one who cleaned all of that up over the past ten days was…

Yu's face turned red again, and he put his face in his hands. This time, it wasn't because of Mika's enticing figure but of genuine embarrassment. His crush had been mopping up his leaks all this time. No, wait, what kind of noble made his son clean the toilets in the first place?!

Too disconcerted to think clearly, he forgot to ask why Mika had personally been cleaning the toilets, especially when he had servants around.

After a while, Mika got himself dressed, and Yu walked with him down to the kitchen. Yu was horrified to learn Mika hadn't eaten anything since their mid-afternoon breakfast the previous day. No wonder he was so weak and pale! Just what had Chess done to keep Mika and the other staff members so busy all night? Since Mika said he and Chess weren't lovers, Yu began to privately blame the maid for Mika's current state.

"Mika," said Yu, watching Mika carefully since Mika still insisted on walking on his own, "why don't you have a seat here at the dining table while I get some food?"

"I remember… what happened to the tea," retorted Mika breathlessly, stubbornly walking into the kitchen.

"You still drank that tea," mumbled Yu, diligently following him. "Two cups, even. Do you have an iron stomach? Or just no taste buds? Or does everyone around here have no sense of taste, which is why no one else can cook decent food?"

He hoped his teasing might make Mika perk up, but, unfortunately, Mika didn't react.

When Yu entered the kitchen, he saw a maid with shoulder-length dark hair and a guilty expression on her face sitting on a stool. Standing next to her stood a tall, muscular man with a mahogany braid trailing down his back.

"Ah," gasped Yu in surprise. "C-Crowley!"

It was the strong coachman, the one who lifted Guren's and Yu's luggage like it was nothing! Yu hadn't seen him after reaching the castle, and this was the first time he got to see Crowley clearly. He had smooth, pale skin and pointed ears like everyone else here and appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had a squared-off jaw and russet bangs, which brought attention to his relaxed, wine-colored eyes and broad, lazy grin. If Ferid had a creepy, effeminate kind of beauty, then Crowley had a comfortable, distinctly masculine bearing.

If Yu hadn't been so enamored with Mika, he wouldn't mind becoming closer to this man.

Yu's eyes moved to the young woman next to him, and his expression automatically shifted to an accusatory glare. If Chess was the one responsible for Mika's condition getting so bad, then the least she could do was—

"I'm so sorry!" said Chess in German, abruptly standing up and bowing her head with her hands folded in front of her. "I really overdid it last night!"

"Chess drank too much and caused us quite a bit of trouble," explained Crowley to Yu in English.

"Oh," said Yu, a bit surprised by the sudden apology. Seeing Chess's pitiful expression caused his anger to deflate. Apparently, Mika had really told the truth about Chess going wild. Yu made a mental note to avoid her if he saw her drinking, or maybe he would just redirect her toward Guren.

He turned his head to watch Mika's reaction.

"I'll be… fine," said Mika, still so pale and shaky-looking that it made Yu's gut twist. Mika's expression was difficult to read, so Yu didn't know whether Mika truly forgave Chess or not. It looked like everything was resolved, but Yu had to wonder if he wouldn't see a repeat of this scenario before he and Guren left.

"Have a seat," said Crowley, gently pulling Mika to the stool Chess had been sitting on. He looked closely at Mika's face and lightly held Mika's wrist for several seconds. The corner of Yu's mouth twitched with irritation, and he had to stop himself from getting between them. Obviously, Mika was more relaxed with Crowley's touch than with Yu's.

The realization made Yu grimace for a moment, but he quickly smoothed out his expression. _Mika's known Crowley longer_ , he convinced himself, _so it's natural for him to be less standoffish._

"Mika's condition is acting up again," announced Crowley somberly, releasing Mika's wrist.

"His condition?" asked Yu, forcing his eyes away from Mika and up to Crowley's face instead.

"Mika has always had a fragile constitution. He becomes sick and worn-out easily, so we must be conscientious about his health. As long as he gets plenty of rests and fluids and eats enough meat, he's should recover just fine," said Crowley, stepping away from Mika sending Yu a reassuring glance.

"Oh," said Yu, feeling relieved. He tried to pretend all his relief was about Mika recovering and not from Crowley stepping away from Mika. He tried to quell the jealous ache in his heart.

"He just needs to be careful to not push himself too hard, or he might not be able to get out of bed the next day."

Cold sweat dripped down Yu's back as he recalled goading Mika to a hunting competition the day before because he wanted to take advantage of Mika's illness. If Chess were guilty, then wasn't Yu just as bad?

He glanced at Mika with an ashamed expression, but Mika didn't seem to notice.

"Anyway," said Chess in German, snapping Yu out of his thoughts, "I brought some fresh meat, so please enjoy it!"

"Chess, you still need to try speaking in English," chastised Crowley softly in German.

"Tomorrow! I'll speak in English tomorrow," replied Chess. Her attitude about speaking English reminded Yu of his own attitude about homework.

Mika nodded slowly. "I see. Thank you," he told them somewhat stiffly.

Chess glanced back at Mika with a worried expression as Crowley ushered her out of the kitchen, and they left.

"Urk," muttered Yu as the servants left. "I need to apologize, too. It looks like I also… made you over-exert yourself yesterday…"

"It's fine. It doesn't matter," said Mika, forgiving him as if he never held him accountable in the first place.

Yu frowned. "It matters," he said quietly.

"It looks like Chess brought us some rabbit," continued Mika, ignoring him. He gestured to a hunk of meat on the counter. It had already been skinned.

The way Mika disregarded his health so carelessly made Yu uncomfortable, but he kept his worries to himself.

Mika insisted on cutting the vegetables, but he let Yu help him as they prepared a rabbit stew. Since it would be a few hours before it was ready to eat, Mika quickly made some over-easy eggs and toast, preparing it easily.

Mika sat on the stool in the kitchen and dipped his toast in egg yolk before bringing it to his mouth, acting more like an experienced servant than a fancy noble who always sat at the dining table with attendants waiting on him hand and foot.

Yu thought his lips looked divine.

"So, um, um," stuttered Yu, trying to get his mind off Mika's mouth, "do you guys hunt for all of your meat?"

Mika swallowed the bite of toast and drank some milk to wash it down.

"Yes," he answered listlessly. "Most of the time, anyway. The people here are quite good at hunting."

"Oh?" said Yu, attempting to get Mika to elaborate and failing. Mika appeared to be in deep thought about something. That, or he was too tired to chatter much longer with Yu.

Yu stifled a weary sigh as he gazed Mika and wondered what it would take to make Mika open up to him.

"So your family has lived in this castle for generations, right?" asked Yu, leaning against the counter. "That's what Guren said, anyway."

Mika didn't answer.

Yu's expression wilted. _Well_ , he thought, _time for my trump card._

"I always thought it would be wonderful to live in a castle," he said.

He watched for a reaction from Mika, but it didn't come.

"I grew up in London's slums. My parents didn't live a very… _clean_ life. My dad dealt in opium and other illicit drugs. He drank a lot and worked odd hours. I don't remember him saying what kind of work he did, but he would say things like he 'got a job' doing something. He would come back covered with bruises and a bloody lip. Mom would patch him up, and he'd go out and spend all his money on booze. Mom liked liquor, too, but she what she really liked was the opium.

"Anyway, we often had trouble paying rent, and dad would lose his temper. He ended up beating my mom and me. Mostly me. Mom would just laugh it off and smoke more opium. If I got hurt too badly, she'd make me smoke some, too. She usually kept it to herself, though.

"If I had the chance, I'd run away from home for a few days at a time to get away from dad until his liquor ran out, and he finally sobered up. When he was out of booze, it meant we hardly had any money left for food, but at least he didn't hit me as hard as when he was drunk."

Yu glanced at Mika, who was eating quietly. Even if Mika tried to keep an apathetic expression, the small wrinkle between his eyebrows betrayed him. When Mika slowly turned to look at him, Yu continued.

"When I was seven, my dad was convicted of robbery and murder. He bludgeoned a man to death in the streets and mugged him for a few farthings. Witnesses said he wanted the guy to buy him another beer, even though he'd already been kicked out of a few bars that night alone. Even though he was my dad, I was happy he was would never come back home and I could just spend time with my mom.

"Mom was different, though," continued Yu with a dark expression as he stared at the kitchen in front of him. "Maybe it was because he didn't beat her as hard as me, or maybe all the opium made her too numb to pain. She kept blaming me for Dad's incarceration. Dad couldn't beat me anymore, so Mom took his place. She screamed at me and called me a demon child. She didn't hit me as hard as Dad did, but it still hurt…

"Even though she never protected me, she never beat me before then. I thought she was a good mom.

"After Dad's court date was decided, Mom flipped out. She stank from the opium. When I got home, she beat me with a rolling pin until I didn't get up anymore. Then, poured kerosene all over the floors and lit a match. When the house began burning, she started laughing and smoking opium again. I crawled out of the house with only a few burns on my arm." Yu casually rubbed his right forearm. "I'm not sure she ever noticed me leave. Eventually, the fire brigade arrived, but the shack was pretty small to begin with. It collapsed, and Mom was only a charred husk under the rubble. All her hair had been burned to nothing, so it was impossible to recognize her… It's just that, no one had been in the house but her.

"I thought I loved my mom," said Yu slowly as he turned toward Mika. A remorseful expression aged his face, making him look much older than he really was. "I thought I loved her, but, when I escaped, I never called for help… I was scared she would pull me back in. People noticed the fire, but I still abandoned her. I left her behind. Does this make me a bad person, Mika?"

Mika had finished his toast, but his eggs remained cold and forgotten on his plate. Yu smiled softly. He had finally gotten Mika's full attention.

"She gave birth to you, but she wasn't your mother. Your 'dad' wasn't your father either. Even if they gave you life, they weren't your parents... Being a parent is more than just making a child," said Mika carefully, his expression serious and somber. It was as if he had thought about this before. Maybe he'd even thought about it often. "They were only villains who bullied you, and you escaped with your life. What's wrong with that?" He put a forkful of egg into his mouth as if they were only talking about normal matter.

Yu's heart thrummed in his chest. Mika's tone was accepting but without pity, which Yu was grateful for. He had no need for pity over something that happened eight years ago, after all. Yu smiled sadly.

"Why are you telling me this anyway?" asked Mika, briefly making eye contact with Yu. "Those people didn't make you who you are."

"I want you to trust me, so I decided to trust you first," said Yu with a grin.

Mika looked away, and Yu let him eat the rest of his meal in silence.


	9. 15 May 1897, Night

15 May 1897, Night.

That night, the rabbit stew was delicious. Yu finished his bowl so quickly, he couldn't compliment Mika on the cooking recipe until after he'd already scarfed it all down. Guren advised Yu to slow down at one point, but he was eating pretty greedily, too. Apparently, relying on Yu's cooking all day left their appetites more unsatisfied than they realized.

Except when it came to instructing Yu on the food preparation, Mika remained quiet ever since Yu told him about his parents—or, rather, the people who gave birth to him but hardly raised him. Mika said it took more than that to be considered a parent, after all. With his long eyelashes pulled over his light blue eyes and the distant expression he wore, he appeared to be deep in thought, so Yu just waited patiently and enjoyed the… scenery.

When Yu insisted on helping Mika or touched his side to keep him from tipping over, Mika didn't scold or glare at him anymore. The most he did was compress his lips into a grim, straight line. Compared to a few hours ago, this was huge improvement, and it filled Yu with relief. Bringing up those painful memories and sharing them may have finally earned Yu a small place in Mika's heart, and he was looking forward to the day he learned about Mika.

Around midnight, Guren had relocated to the library, and Yu escorted Mika back to his room.

Yu was delighted Mika wasn't refusing his help anymore, and his fingers tingled every time he grabbed Mika to keep him from swaying into a decoration or one of the walls. Mika sat on the bed, and Yu plopped down in the chair next to it.

Surprisingly, Mika was the first to speak.

"What happened… You… I mean," mumbled Mika ineptly as he struggled with his words.

A grin stretched out across Yu's face. Mika's uncomfortable expression was so adorable, Yu wanted to crush Mika with a hug and rub his hand up and down Mika's back until the tension left him. He refrained, of course. Mika was obviously trying to ask him about something personal, but it looked like he wasn't used to asking people about themselves. Once again, an unpleasant feeling that pinched at Yu's gut. It was almost like Mika wasn't used to making friends. Even if he lived in the mountains, just how isolated was he?

Yu pushed the worrisome thoughts away, deciding it was not something he needed to think about now, and focused on enjoying Mika's social clumsiness as he struggled to find his words. He had a hard time restraining his smile and not laughing at him. Mika really was too cute.

"Your story before," said Mika finally with a frown. "You were on your own, but now you're working with Guren. How'd that happen?"

"You want to know about me?" asked Yu with a teasing smile.

"That's…," began Mika, trying to cover up his bashfulness with excuses. "It's not like—"

"That makes me really happy!" said Yu as his smile shifted from a teasing one to one beaming so brightly, it seemed to light up the room. "I'll tell you all about me, so make sure to tell me all about yourself later, okay?

"Hm," began Yu, grasping his chin with his fingers as he thought. "Let's see… I told you about how my mom died, right? My parents were immigrants, and my dad was in prison. I didn't have any relatives to take me in. I was taken to an orphanage at first, but I ended up living on the streets before long. I stole food and occasionally shacked up with some other kids. Winter was tough, but sleeping on the streets during summer wasn't bad unless it rained. Unfortunately, it rained pretty often. I stole food and money to survive. In the group of kids I was with, I was one of the stronger ones."

"Why didn't you stay in the orphanage?" asked Mika.

"Haha," Yu giggled awkwardly. "Well, my parents were foreign, so the kids would call me 'Chinaman,' 'Chinko,' and 'Yellowman.' I'm actually Japanese, not Chinese, born and raised in England, but they treated me like a foreigner. Well, when they didn't let up," continued Yu with a slightly embarrassed gulp, "I retaliated—I beat them so hard, they couldn't walk straight for a week. I didn't even hit them half as hard as my parents hit me, but they said I 'crossed the line.' They made it difficult for me to stay there after that, so I left for the streets. It's not like living on the streets was much different from when my parents were alive. I was used to scavenging for food and lost change and things.

"Um, anyway… I stole and got into fights, but I stayed away from drugs and booze. I thought I was doing pretty well, but the other kids always said I had a bad temper just like my dad. They always liked me at first, but they kept me at a distance once they heard rumors about my parents. I don't even know if my dad was hanged or if he's still in prison. Since I want nothing to do with him, I never wanted to find out.

"Even so, the kids still clung onto me when it came to fights for food. We mostly clashed against other gangs just to get a good meal or a more comfortable place to sleep, like a shack with a roof on top. When I was twelve, I got in a fight against half a dozen other kids, and I beat them silly—until this older kid showed up anyway. He was twice as big as me and practically an adult. The other kids ran, but I only saw red. I don't even remember what we were fighting over, but we got in a bloody row, as they'd say.

"I broke several of the guy's ribs, his nose, and his jaw. I think he lost a few teeth, too. I'm not sure—I smashed up his face pretty bad." Yu pointed _did not look_ at Mika for this part of the story. He didn't want to see a judgmental stare on Mika's face. "He broke my arm. We were both covered in bruises and blood and ran off in the end. Neither of us really won. After a few days, the swelling in my arm only kept getting worse, so I finally went to a clinic. They treated me there, but apparently the other guy was a rich man's son. He hired some goons to keep watch on all the clinics and hospitals in the area, and a ton of constables were waiting for me after I had the cast placed.

"I went to jail for a few days—they decided I was too dangerous to leave on the streets and needed to keep track of me somehow. I'm not sure what they did was entirely legal… Anyway, after a week, Guren showed up there… He said he heard rumors about some Asian kid beating the crap about a rich prick twice his size and came to check it out. We talked for a bit, and Guren said he was looking for tough people like me.

"I refused at first. Why would I want to become dog to someone I hardly knew? However, he pointed out that no one on that side of town would help me anymore. He said he could also get the charges against me thrown out and promised me good food and shelter. He left and came back a few days later. That time, I left with him. I don't know how he got everything taken care of, but the kid I fought with and his goons never bothered me again… Anyway, in exchange for food and shelter, he trained me to join his business. He taught me how to read and everything. He'd pay me for jobs. There was a bad explosion almost a year ago, and several employees died. After that, the kids he'd been raising, including me and some others, had even more work to do."

"Wait a minute. Why was Guren looking for _tough_ people to train in _real estate?_ " asked Mika with a baffled expression.

"Uh…" _Oh, shit. Guren's going to kill me_ , Yu thought to himself as he tried to worm his way out of this one. "Well, there are some… scary people in real estate, like the Hiragi at the top of the company, and… uh... We also did some menial tasks like guarding the Ichinose Estate and stuff like that. It was good to be tough for that," said Yu, fumbling his words every step of the way.

Mika gave him a flat look that said he didn't believe a lick of Yu's explanation. Yu felt sweat drip down his neck.

 _Damnit. I just got way too comfortable and let that slip, didn't I? More like, who would even pick up on a detail like that?_ he thought to himself.

Mika sighed.

"What about the explosion? Why was there an explosion?" he asked, deciding not to delve further into Yu's more questionable work.

"Um, they said it was a gas leak," mumbled Yu as he looked away.

Mika gave him another bland look.

"Anyway, Mika," said Yu, obviously trying to change the topic, "do you have any games around here? What do you do for fun?"

Mika gave Yu a long look but let his questionable story and porous explanations slide in the end. He led Yu to the lounge Chess had taken him to the night before. Fortunately, the nocturnal residents all had work to keep them busy tonight. He carried a lantern with him and used it to light the candles in the room.

"Most of the indoor games are held up here, although I also have a couple in my room. The staff has been playing chess with Chess a lot lately to try and teach her how to play, but it hasn't been going very well. There is also _The Mansion of Happiness_ , which Ferid enjoys, _Snakes and Ladders_ , _Messenger Boy_ , checkers, basic cards… Since we're isolated up here, we usually buy any game we come across. I usually prefer reading books, though."

"Chess can't play chess, huh?" muttered Yu, smirking at the wordplay. "Which kind of game is your favorite Mika? Anything's fine with me."

"Hm," hummed Mika as he thought. "How about _The Game of Authors_? It's in English. It's supposed to be played with three to five players, but we can change the rules to fit two."

"Sure. Okay," agreed Yu easily.

The amused smile that graced Mika's face for a moment sent Yu's heart racing with delight and the hairs on his neck standing up out of trepidation. What exactly was this contradictory feeling…?

They played a few games, and Yu lost spectacularly every time. He should have known this game was about books. The word "authors" was even in its name! Oddly enough, Mika insisted he loved this game, and he trounced Yu a few more times. Following Yu's third defeat, he came to the conclusion that Mika enjoyed winning and watching Yu squirm more than he liked playing this game of cards. The hints of a mischievous smile that flickered across Mika's face from time to time melted Yu's heart and made him endure it longer than he expected.

Yu wanted to retaliate, to pick a game and trump Mika repeatedly and see how _he_ felt about that. But then, Mika yawned.

Mika's eyes were watery, and he looked half-asleep. He was still quite pale and had deep shadows under his eyes. He wasn't breathing as hard anymore, but he was still unsteady on his feet. He looked worn-out...

 _Mika's ill_ , Yu reminded himself. He decided to go easy on Mika, just this once. He would save his revenge for another day, and he would look forward to the flustered expressions Mika would be sure to make at that time. Just thinking about it made Yu's heart beat harder.

 _Head out of the gutter_ , he warned himself.

"Hey, Mika," began Yu gently, "how about you go take a rest? I'll walk you down, and then I'll come back to clean up everything and blow out the candles."

"It's unnecessary," said Mika, blinking sleepily.

"Let's go," said Yu insistently, helping Mika from his chair and leading him out into the hall. He didn't protest this time. After guiding Mika to the toilet and then to his bed, Yu returned and cleaned up the room, just as he had promised.

It was after midnight, but Yu had gotten used to the sleeping hours of the castle inhabitants and figured he wouldn't go to bed for a few more hours. Instead he stretched and tracked down Guren to see what he was up to.

As usual, Guren sat a table in the castle library, scribbling Japanese in that notebook of his. Yu doubted anyone aside from him or Guren could read it.

"Hey, Guren. How's it going?" asked Yu, plopping himself down in a chair on the other side of the table.

"Fine, just like always," said Guren. He looked up from his books and faced Yu. "Yu, I know how restless you are here. I've been thinking about it more… If you want, I can arrange for you to start heading home in a few days. I can stay behind and finish up our work on my own. It's not like you have anything to do here, and I can take care of myself."

"Oh, no," said Yu with a faint blush. He fidgeted with his fingers. "I mean, it's not so bad here anymore."

"That's alright," said Guren slowly as he narrowed his eyes. "I'd rather work on my own than be stuck indoors with you for a few more weeks."

"A few more _weeks?_ " asked Yu, aghast at the notion. Just what was Guren doing here that would take so long?! "No, I mean, that's fine," said Yu clumsily, gathering his resolve. "I can handle it."

"No, it's really okay," insisted Guren. "Even if the company disagrees, I can just have another associate replace you for a little while—"

"No, it's fine!" interrupted Yu loudly. "I mean, I kinda like it here… I don't want to leave. Please, let me stay!"

"You like it here?" asked Guren with a raised eyebrow. Amusement glinted in his deep eyes. "I haven't even threatened you with your summer homework yet, and you're already insisting on staying. Why is that? What is your ulterior motive? I know you're bored out of your mind here… Don't tell me, you really like the 'scenery' that much?"

"The scenery is very pretty," stated Yu with fervor.

"Oh?" asked Guren teasingly. "Pretty, is it? Exactly what kind of pretty is he, I wonder?"

"An… An ice-queen kind of pretty, but his smile seriously turns me to mush!" said Yu, turning cherry-red.

"Oh? And what about his dad?"

The blood drained out of Yu's face. "Um, I guess he's pretty but, um, also kinda creepy… In fact, I think he's way more creepy than pretty. Something about him gives me the willies."

Guren snorted.

"You're really attached to that kid, huh?" asked Guren with a hopeless glance at the ceiling. "I don't know how long I'll be here for work. Yu," he said, turning to look at his companion, "let me know if you change your mind, and I'll see if we can arrange a way for you to leave here early.

"Even though I don't think you'll listen, I'll advise you once more… You shouldn't like Mika too much. I don't want to see you get hurt. He's a boy and, like you said, he has a creepy dad. You should hook up with one of the girls back home instead."

Yu snorted, mimicking Guren.

"Guren, you know I've never liked girls," he snapped back, tired of this argument.

Guren was right. Yu didn't listen.

Exhausted from the anemia and from playing games for hours, Mika slept deeply. He dreamt of his mother. This time, she poured lighter fluid over herself and lit herself on fire, dancing in the flames as she saluted the god she worshipped. Her skin melted black and sloughed off with her movements, splattering onto the murky, undefined ground. Oddly enough, there was no muscle left behind. The woman continued to dance, even as she was naught but a skeleton and the last embers of her clothes and hair burned away, taking the remnants of life from her as they turned to ash.

"Everything for the God of Blood!" she sang in a language that was neither German nor English, despite having neither a tongue nor lips. Blood poured from her eye sockets, nasal cavity, and mouth without restraint. Her bloody skeleton was quite eye-catching. "You shall be his angel, my sweet Mikaela…"

She leaned forward to kiss Mika on the forehead, coating him in her blood.

The smell of burnt hair permeated through the smoky air.

Mika blinked slowly. He had grown numb to the dreams several years ago, but it looked like Yu's tale added a fiery new twist to them.

 _How annoying_ , he thought, lazily rolling over. _She didn't die like that._

Even if Yu's story gave him nothing but a sympathetic tale and nightmares, Mika had at least learned one thing for certain: Guren and Yu did more than real estate work, if they even did real estate at all. Yu was a terrible liar, and his explanations were as solid as Swiss cheese. Even _if_ he truly did security detail sometimes, was that enough to explain how quickly and accurately he was able to shoot the _kammerlader_ yesterday?

It was then that Mika noticed a familiar silver-haired individual sitting in front of him. The candles on the table were lit, giving the pale fiend a warm glow. Mika closed his eyes and pretended he didn't see anything.

"Mika, dear," cooed Ferid in German, "I know you're awake… You were whimpering in your sleep."

"I was not," argued Mika, opening his eyes again with an annoyed expression.

Ferid smiled knowingly but didn't correct him.

"I got you some snacks. Here is some mineral water, a lemon, and a jar of honey. I was also able to get a mixture of dried fruits," said Ferid more gently than usual as he casually placing the items on the table. He poured the mineral water into a glass, added a teaspoon of honey to it, cut the lemon in half, and crushed one half of the lemon over the water, letting its juice drip into the carbonated water. He casually stirred the mixture with a spoon.

"Apparently," he said somewhat uncertainly, "this is supposed to be good for your health. I've heard it's pretty tasty, too."

Mika sluggishly sat up, waiting patiently as the room spun around him. Ferid had only drained him two nights ago, so Mika wasn't worried about him being so predatory toward him so soon. If Ferid had no self-control, then Mika would have been killed by him long ago. Since he brought treats, he was clearly in one of his more compassionate moods. Mika didn't know why Ferid favored him so much, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know in the first place. Mika forced himself to relax.

Ferid's cold fingers suddenly touched Mika jaw, making him jolt.

"Now, now," said Ferid, smirking at Mika's sensitivity, "let me see your neck. It's fine if I bite you, but I'm worried that someone else might nick an artery and make your blood spray out like a geyser."

Mika obediently let Ferid turn his head.

"You're going to have quite a bruise," said Ferid, touching Mika's jaw and neck for a moment longer than necessary. Ferid then handed him the glass of lemon mineral water with honey.

Mika drowsily took a sip of the sweet, peculiar beverage. It was more refreshing than he expected, being mixed by a monster after all.

"Aren't you just fattening your livestock, so you can feast on it later?" Mika asked accusingly.

"Hahaha," chortled Ferid as he reached forward and ran his fingers through Mika's blond waves of hair.

Mika leaned his head away from Ferid's hand, but it only made the room wobble more. He frowned, holding his drink more tightly to avoid spilling it in his dizziness.

"Well, that isn't wrong," said Ferid lightly with a fanged smile. "I heard you made a friend. In fact, so did the rest of the castle… He's an awfully loud one, isn't he?"

"He isn't my friend," replied Mika automatically.

"That's right," agreed Ferid smoothly. "He isn't your friend. A human like him can never be your companion… And, well, you certainly can't trust him either."

Mika's ears twitched at that last line. He carefully placed his glass on the nightstand.

"What do you know about those two?" asked Mika, referring to the two deceitful humans Ferid invited to the castle. Ferid would never let such blatantly duplicitous people here without a reason.

Yuichiro paced restlessly in his room and glanced uneasily at his homework sitting on the desk. He had fun yesterday and today, but that didn't stop him from being bored out of his mind while Mika was resting.

Mika sure looked good with that bedhead and unbuttoned shirt earlier.

At the thought of Mika, his heart fluttered merrily in his chest.

 _You don't even know if he likes men_ , echoed Guren's voice in his head.

 _Shut up, Guren_ , Yu thought to himself.

When Mika intentionally antagonized and avoided him for the first week of his stay, he thought Mika was gorgeous but too much of a stuck-up prick for that to matter. When Mika turned back and grabbed him in the woods as they ran from who-knows-what, Yu realized this crush had him bad. When Mika dragged him to the restroom to wrap his finger so thickly with bandages that he couldn't make out the proper shape anymore, Yu spent the night glancing at it and wondering how Mika could be so cold and sweet at the same time. When Mika slept late and finally reappeared looking as weak as a newborn kitten and collapsed, cool to the touch and ashen-faced, Yu felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. When tonight, finally, he told Mika some of his history and convinced Mika to play games with him, he thought he finally glimpsed the real Mika hiding behind the mask.

The real Mika looked soft and tender and fragile, and Yu wanted to crush him to his chest. Mika was very secretive, but Yu wasn't sure if that was because he was too scared to open up or if he was hiding genuine secrets.

Yu wasn't sure if he could fall asleep without seeing Mika's face one more time. And he _really_ wanted to tease him a little after putting up with Guren's drab warnings earlier.

He gazed longingly at the scab on his finger, remembering how Mika touched him when he bandaged it.

He sighed, opening his bedroom window and peeking his head out. He closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh, night air as it cooled his head.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, he saw a dark, long-limbed creature scuttle up one of the towers, sticking to the shadows and then clambering into a window of the castle. Yu's eyes grew wide with alarm. If the waning gibbous moon hadn't been shining so brightly, Yu would never have noticed it. That thing was nearly as big as a person!

After taking a deep breath, Yu picked up his school textbook and started to leave the room. Then, he backtracked, shutting his window and locking it firmly for the first time since he arrived.

He grabbed a pillow and rushed out of the room.

"Hmm," mused Ferid with a teasing smile. "Why? Are you finally putting your faith in me, Mika dear? I'd certainly _love_ to give you every answer you crave, but what would you give me in return? Are you finally willing to become mine?"

Mika frowned, narrowing his eyes warily at the count.

"If you do," he purred temptingly as he lightly licked his lips and leaned toward Mika, letting the glow of the candlelight seductively highlight the smooth curves of his sender neck and collarbones, "then I'll give you all you desire and more…"

The unnatural radiance from his glistening scarlet eyes locked Mika's in place. All of Mika's thoughts gradually grew silent as he only stared straight ahead, and the room around Ferid faded into a blur as if everything but Ferid were merely an illusion. Mika felt his face slacken as his defenses melted away.

 _Not again_ , he cursed silently. The words sounded like they were miles away. He only had enough strength to twitch a finger but not enough to even turn his head away.

Ferid touched Mika's face, brushing the bangs from his eyes and tracing a finger down Mika's straight nose and soft lips. Mika felt too numb to flinch from the cold sensation, and the world around him seemed to move in slow motion. Ferid rested his forehead against Mika's, closing his eyes and relaxing as he inhaled Mika's scent.

The world around him slowly returned to color as Ferid broke the trance, letting Mika's sensibilities return to reality. Unamused but too cautious to push Ferid away, Mika silently waited for Ferid to back away from him first.

"Oh…?" muttered Ferid suddenly, moving away from Mika much sooner than usual. Mika raised an eyebrow as Ferid's mouth stretched out in a mischievous grin. Without warning, Ferid suddenly jumped over Mika to the other side of the bed and playfully dropped to the ground.

Mika turned back, watching Ferid with confusion. _Just what is he—_

A loud hammering sound came from Mika's door, making him jump and startling him even more than the appearance of the bloodsucker.

"Mika," shouted an uninvited green-eyed teenage guest from next door as he barged in not even a second after knocking, "you have some seriously GARGANTUAN SPIDERS in the woods here! You wouldn't believe it! I even saw one crawl in through one of the castle windows!"

 _I could have sworn I locked that door_ , thought Mika. He gave a bewildered expression as he glanced between the book in one of Yu's hands to the pillow in his other hand.

"Why do you…" _One thing at a time_ , thought Mika to himself. "Why do you have a book?" he asked slowly with a weary expression.

"Um, it's heavy," said Yu uncertainly. "So I can… smash spiders with it. It was a bloody big spider, okay?"

"And why…" Mika wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to this question. "Why do you have a… a pillow?"

"Hahaha," said Yu sheepishly as a blush crept up his face. "Well, I was thinking that… If I can't get the spider, you know… I can stay in here to protect you?"

Yu was trying to spend the night in Mika's room.

Mika's bewildered expression turned flabbergasted. He imagined Ferid cracking up with silent laughter from the other side of the room as he hid behind Mika's bed. His shoulders were doubtlessly shaking over there as he held it in.

" _No_ ," stated Mika in a tone he hoped would leave no doubt regarding his opinion on that matter. And why the hell was Ferid hiding? Ferid was pretending to be his dad, so it would have been perfectly normal for him to be visiting the bedside of his "sickly" son. If he wanted to listen in, he could have easily done it from outside the room.

That meant… Ferid must only be doing this to make Mika nervous. And it worked, too. How would Yu react if he saw the person he thought of as Mika's dad crawling around his room like that?! Ferid was utterly shameless, but Mika was not the same.

If Ferid got caught, then Mika would be the one to suffer—from embarrassment.

Mika scowled.

"Aww, c'mon, Mika," said Yu, innocently clutching his pillow to his chest. He stepped toward Mika and the bed, sending Mika's internal alarm bells ringing. "If you need anything while you're resting, just say the word, and I'll go get it for you."

"Yu," said Mika, rapidly feeling more irritated, "I can take care of myself."

"But it might be fun," said Yu.

"No," repeated Mika, wondering how difficult Yu was going to make this.

 _He's stubborn as a mule_ , echoed Guren's somber words in his mind.

"There's plenty of room in here," argued Yu with a pleading smile. "I can sleep on one of the rugs or that sofa by the window."

Mika glanced at the daybed under the window where he often read. If he walked anywhere near there and Ferid didn't hide better, then Ferid would definitely be spotted. He then turned around and walked past Yu to the door.

"That is not the problem," said Mika, holding the door open. " _Out_ ," he demanded and gestured toward the exit.

Yu turned toward Mika with a sorrowful expression.

"Would it really be so bad to have a slumber party, Mika?" asked Yu, pouting.

Ferid's hand reached above the bed and pointed toward the daybed. He gave a thumbs-up sign.

Mika's expression flattened. Ferid apparently wanted Mika to let Yu stay there—either to make Mika extremely uncomfortable and to watch as he squirmed, or because he wanted to snack on Yu during the night.

As far as Mika was concerned, neither option was acceptable.

"Yes. It would be absolutely terrible," said Mika stiffly.

Yu gave him a shocked and heartbroken expression, but he trudged out of the room.

Before shutting the door on him, a worried look flickered across Mika's face.

"Make sure you lock your window and door," said Mika quickly before he shut the door and disappeared.

When Mika threw that advice at him, Yu's face lit up in delight. He had entered Mika's room with a pillow as a joke (the textbook was for legitimately massive creepy crawling things), and watching all of those expressions flicker across Mika's face brought color to his world. Yu felt much more comfortable about deciding to get closer to Mika than he had been since he talked with Guren. Yu giggled as he walked back to his room. Of course, on the rare chance Mika let him sleep in there, Yu doubted he would have been able to sleep a wink.

After a pause, Yu locked his door after he entered. He wasn't sure why Mika advised him to lock the door. Maybe he thought that spider would come this way?

Yu shrugged it off and smiled, content now that he had seen Mika's face one last time for the night. He put his book back on the desk and blew out the candles before going to bed and shortly after, falling into a peaceful sleep.

Mika turned and glared at Ferid, crossing his arms.

Delighted to be looked at with such an intense gaze, Ferid stood up and smiled cheerfully at him.

"What?" he asked merrily. " _I_ actually came in through the door like a human. Why do you always blame me for everything?"

"The door was locked," stated Mika without amusement.

Ferid grinned. "Locking your door is a great way to make everyone _other than me_ think twice! It means that only _I_ am permitted to visit your room… At any rate, it sounds like Lacus or René dropped by and gave that kid quite a start. Anyone else would just fly in."

Unamused and impatient, Mika gave Ferid a flat stare. Since when had he ever "permitted" Ferid to enter his room?

"Anyway," continued Ferid, "that boy certainly is… _interesting_. I guess he wants to be your personal nurse and exterminator, all in one! Or maybe he just wants to be your guardian angel?"

 _I know what exactly I'd want him to exterminate_ , thought Mika, pointedly looking at Ferid.

"Kyaaah!" teased Ferid in a girly tone as he hugged himself. "I feel like you're thinking indecent things, Mika dear!"

 _The only indecent thing here is you_ , thought Mika, restraining himself from speaking and therefore encouraging Ferid's antics.

"That guy," said Mika as he referred to Yu, "seems more like a demon to me."

"Hehehe," snickered Ferid. "Well, at least you can see that. _Anyhow_ , you wanted to know about Mr. Guren Ichinose and Mr. Yuichiro Amane, correct?"

Mika's annoyed expression turned more serious.

"Well, _Little Yu_ is clearly… an _interesting_ one. As for that cunning peacock who brought him here, he is certainly a _very interesting_ one," said Ferid unhelpfully.

Mika glowered.

"Oh, now… The information isn't for free, you know?" cooed Ferid teasingly. "Anyway, just because you're such a delight and gave me an entertaining show tonight, I'll let you in on one little thread of information."

Ferid paused, sealing his lips with a closed smile as he waited. After living with him for so many years, Mika knew that behaving like a well-trained pet was the best way to get what he wanted. This was how Ferid raised him after all.

With a sigh, Mika walked over to him. Ferid gave a satisfied smile and gently combed his fingers through Mika's hair once again.

"I didn't send that little demon after you," said Ferid as he lightly touched Mika's ears. "And neither did any of my brethren. Either Guren encouraged him to do it, or he's doing all this on his own. Frankly, I'm not sure which prospect is more dangerous."

Ferid released him and headed to the door, walking like a normal human.

"Make sure to lock the door behind me," said Ferid with a wave and a jaunt as if he were leaving his housewife behind, a notion that made Mika's skin crawl. His silver hair flashed behind him as he stepped into the hallway and shut the door.

Mika unsteadily walked to the door and locked it before returning to his bed. He gazed absentmindedly at the glass of lemon mineral water with honey and began to drink more of it. It was surprisingly refreshing for something concocted by one of those creatures.

Ferid said that the humans were dangerous and not to be trusted. This wasn't anything unusual since he often preached about the evils of humanity, but he specified that Yu's behavior of trying to get close to Mika was particularly dangerous.

Mika had an uncomfortably queasy feeling clenching at his gut that said anemia would soon be the least of his problems.


	10. 18 May 1897

18 May 1897.

A sixteen-year-old girl carefully brushed her long, ash-colored hair. Leaving her bangs free, she expertly braided hair on either side of her head into a crowning braid. After turning her head and looking at her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction, she clipped a large black bow on the back of her head.

Even though the bow was so large it made the petite girl appear even more childish than her petite frame implied, she couldn't part with it. It was the final gift her dear sister, Mahiru Hiragi, gave her before she died in an explosion while working at her fiancé's estate. Mahiru had certainly been the most distinguished and famous of the Hiragi siblings, but she was also the only one who really treated the youngest daughter like a family member.

Shinoa brushed away her reverie by flashing a playful smile at the mirror.

Today wasn't a day of sorrows, after all! Instead, it was the first day she got to meet up with her entire group friends in a few weeks… Well, minus Yu. That bastard was off romping around Europe with Guren.

She spun in front of the mirror one last time. Her lavender dress had puffy sleeves at the shoulders but left her arms bare, which would be a relief in the summer heat. The bell-shaped skirt emphasized her hips. Unfortunately, despite the dressmaker's best efforts, her chest was a little… modest.

Considering how busty her sister had been, she wasn't too worried about that last part. She conveniently ignored the fact she was already in her mid-teens.

Shinoa locked the door to her flat before stuffing the key in her purse and racing out of the apartment building. Her shoes click-clacked merrily on cobblestone roads as she suddenly desisted with her immature behavior and began promenading the street like a young woman. The warm, muggy air kissed her skin as the sun vainly attempted to peer through the ever-present clouds. Since it was warm and wasn't raining, she thought the weather was nice. After all, it wasn't like England was known for its sunlight.

After ten minutes of steady walking, she reached the park on the north side of the city where she and her friends often met up.

Eventually, she noticed a taller teenage boy with shocking pink hair, multiple ear piercings, and glasses. His face appeared to be weathered by the sea air, and his sharp eyes and keen sense of direction often gave strangers the impression of a sailor. She tip-toed near, careful to avoid being spotted. A shorter boy with curly brown hair stood chatting with him. Unlike the pink-haired boy, his face looked white and soft, as if he spent most of his time indoors. The tall, pink-haired one with a stern expression was Kimizuki while the shorter, fluffier one with a gentle smile was called Yoichi. They were her friends, even if they pretended not to know her following some of her antics.

"Oh, I think I see Mitsuba," said Yoichi as he looked to the south.

"Yeah, you and everyone else," said Kimizuki, folding his arms with a sigh.

Shinoa crept behind a bench and peeked around to see what they were talking about.

Heading their way was a beautiful young woman with blond hair pulled back into twin-tails. She wore a frilly peach-colored dress that emphasized her breasts, which Shinoa already believed to be far more ample than necessary for a girl only six months older than herself, and had a large ribbon wrapped around her waist. She strolled across the park with her back straight and looked as prim and proper as the little rich miss she was supposed to be. Many young and older men in the park glanced at or even downright stared at her before their dates had a word with them.

Shinoa raised an eyebrow before retreating to the shadows.

"You look really nice, Mitsuba," said Yoichi politely.

"Yeah," said Kimizuki with a stiff expression. "You look like a carnation tied up and ready to be put on sale."

Mitsuba pouted and plopped down on the bench, spreading her legs apart in an unladylike manner. Her arms stretched out over the bench as if to claim it as her own.

"My parents keep pushing me to get married," she complained.

The men who had been staring at her were startled by her sudden change in behavior and soon looked away. The boys and Shinoa were nonplussed, having been accustomed to her uncouth behavior long ago.

"Marriage?" asked Yoichi, his gentle eyes round and sympathetic. "You're only sixteen."

"I swear, parents will never make sense to me," muttered Mitsuba. "Aoi already got them the prestigious son-in-law they wanted, so why do I have to walk that route? I want to experience true love and happiness for myself and not just get married because my parents tell me to."

"Have you ever even dated anyone before?" asked Kimizuki, sounding as harsh as Yoichi was kind.

"Eh, a few times," she answered ruefully, "but I'm not really into the posh rich boys my parents want me to marry. My sister got hooked up with the future head of the Hiragi Real Estate Company when she was only fifteen, so my parents have some expectations for me. Since I'll be turning seventeen next month, they've really started bringing it up more."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Yoichi. "If they get really desperate, one of us can marry you!"

Mitsuba laughed lightly. "They don't want me to just get married. They want me to marry a rich boy with a title and land. You know how ambitious they are. They would never accept orphans like you guys, even if you have steady work and can take care of yourselves. If I get married," she said slowly, with a sad expression, "I want to get married to someone I at least _like_."

"Even if they keep pressuring you," said Kimizuki, who'd always seemed indifferent but, in truth, was the one who worried most for his friends, "it's fine if you take your time. It's not like they can force you to get married or something."

Without warning, Shinoa took the opportunity of Mitsuba being distracted to suddenly pop up, reaching over the bench to grope Mitsuba's ample chest.

"It's not like these are going to sag anytime soon!" shouted Shinoa gleefully as the twin masses on Mitsuba's chest filled her hands.

Mitsuba screamed.

The boys wisely leapt away, wary of becoming Shinoa's next target.

"SHINOA!" yelled Mitsuba, her face bright red as she slapped Shinoa's paws away. She stood up and guarded her chest protectively with her arms. "I can't _believe_ you just did that! In public, no less! We aren't children anymore!"

"Awwww?" teased Shinoa with a chuckle. "I thought you were trying to get attention, dressed all purdy like that. If you want some handsome suitors to lay their eyes on you, then you gotta shuffle that bosom around!"

"I am _not_ having this conversation with you," said Mitsuba, cautiously stepping farther away from the gray-haired imp before her.

"Well, one thing's for sure," said Kimizuki, his tone accusatory. " _Everyone's_ eyes are on us now. I suggest we relocate."

Sure enough, Shinoa looked up to see saw pair after pair of eyes gazing at them. A pair of children let their kites fall as they chose to gape at the group of teens instead of playing. Shinoa thought they were staring at her and her friends like they were a pack of escaped zoo animals. Well, Shinoa felt like that simile was actually close to reality.

An awkward giggle erupted from Yoichi's mouth as a faint blush blossomed on his cheeks from embarrassment. Unlike Shinoa, her friends knew shame. Well, except for Yu.

"Alright, alright," conceded Shinoa as unabashed as ever. She began heading out of the park. "I suppose we need to move to preserve the sanctity of Mitsuba's mammaries."

"Uh, yeah," said Mitsuba, "as if there is any sanctity left after what _you_ did." Even though her tone was angry, she still smiled when she stepped up to Shinoa, even walking by her side as they left the park.

The boys only looked at each other and shrugged before chasing after the girls. The four were soon walking and chatting together, joking and speaking freely in spite of their varying social classes. Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Kimizuki took care to keep Shinoa in their sights as she twirled around playfully, and her eyes glinted with dangerous mischief.

Even though she had already attacked one of them today, who knew if there wouldn't be a second time?

"So, what's new?" asked Shinoa casually. "It looks like Yu is still playing around on the continent. Did he say how long his and Guren's trip would be? He's been gone for a month already."

"He said he didn't know for certain," answered Kimizuki seriously. "He said it would take a couple of weeks to get all the way to Transylvania, so it would be a month if he just did a round trip. Since they have other work to do along the way, they probably won't get back until the end of May or beginning of June at earliest. He did say they were making some real estate deals, but Yu was uncertain about the nature of their other assignments. We received a letter from Yu when he first reached Transylvania but none since then. He mentioned they were in a rural area."

"They were supposed to sell land to a count there," added Yoichi. "I heard he lives in a castle deep in the mountains, so it's possible Yu hasn't been able to send any messages from that location."

"So, he's deep in the sticks, is he?" asked Shinoa lightly.

"Even so, Yu will be fine," stated Mitsuba confidently. "He's survived dozens of things that could kill him before, and this won't be any different. I wouldn't be surprised if he were spending all day hunting outdoors. It's not like Guren always needs him by his side."

After several minutes, they finally left behind the curious glances of the pedestrians at the park and wandered to a plaza with a fountain. Three stone cupids with round bellies stood clustered in the middle of the fountain and sprayed water out of their mouths.

Shinoa skipped over to the fountain and sat on its stone edge. She crossed her legs.

"Now then," said Shinoa, her spirited manner suddenly more serious. Her companions gulped. "In seven weeks, a very important event is coming up. That is, _Mitsuba's seventeenth birthday_. We have plans to arrange and schemes to scheme. And if Yu isn't back by then, we'll skin him alive!"

"…Or maybe we can just put orange dye in his soap," suggested Yoichi, providing a more peaceful alternative.

It had been a few days since Mika had woken up half-dead with Yu practically hammering down his door. He had been sleeping a lot and was well-rested, so now he could wake up when Yu started slamming his fists against the door the first time instead of the third time. Mika wasn't sure if Ferid was unlocking his door on purpose to annoy him or if Yu knew how to pick locks, but Mika woke up to Yu standing in his room more than once. The night Chess drained too much blood out of him, he assumed he was so exhausted that he neglected to lock the door. Since then, he had been more careful, but something odd was happening.

Even if Yu acted sweet and had a worried expression when he came to check up on Mika, Mika couldn't trust him even slightly. Just what was he after? And just how was he getting into Mika's room?

Even though Mika was still anemic, he felt stronger already, and his neck no longer ached as much as it had before. He supposed that was fine since he had to play along with Crowley's story about him being a noble's "ill and fragile" only child. He certainly _wasn't_ a noble's child, and he would be neither "ill" nor "fragile" if certain blood-sucking monsters would leave him the hell alone.

Although Ferid was usually the only one who bit him, he still drained him every two weeks or so under normal conditions, which hardly gave Mika any chance to recover. Given how Mika acted when he was first imprisoned here, it was no surprise that Ferid preferred him weak and vulnerable…

Mika got out of bed slowly and changed his clothes, carefully choosing a scarf that hid the bruises on his neck. They had become a putrid green color by this point. Ferid hadn't been lying when he said Chess's bite would leave a large shiner, so Mika figured it would be quite a while before he could finally leave his neck uncovered again. As he had no desire to wear a scarf in the middle of the summer, he hoped Yu and Guren would hurry up and leave, so he no longer had to hide anything.

He brushed his hair, but it remained an unruly mess from sleeping so heavily. With a sigh, he pulled it back into a short ponytail. After one final check to make sure his bruises were hidden from Yu, he hid his mirror back in his drawer and left.

On his way to the kitchen, he encountered Guren Ichinose leaving the restroom. This was the man Yu claimed fetched him from jail and hired him as an underling.

Now that Mika was feeling better, he had some investigations of his own to catch up on.

Without any preamble or greeting, Mika approached Guren. He didn't care to greet someone he regarded as a stranger at best or an enemy at worst, and he believe Guren didn't care about such niceties either.

"Yu told me he serves you as a bodyguard," said Mika lightly, probing about Yu's true profession.

"Un," nodded Guren after a brief pause. His violet eyes glanced at Mika like a panther considering whether to strike at his target. "He's not a very good one, though. Gets distracted pretty easily."

Mika nodded in agreement and walked away.

" _Security guard," my foot_ , thought Mika. Yu probably wasn't lying when he said helped with security at Guren's estate, but Yu was obviously not there to work with real estate. Not once did he ever chat about the castle stone, furnishings, or details like the balustrades or heavy doors, and he had certainly spoken profusely. As a person who dealt with the buying and selling of residences, wouldn't he pay attention to details that could raise or drop the value of the castle? He mentioned the land outside frequently, but never asked about the square acreage or beautiful places on the property. Instead, he focused on enjoying the fresh air and going hunting.

As Guren had confirmed, Yu was actually supposed to be working as his bodyguard.

Mika already believed Guren came here for reasons other than selling a house, but now those suspicious were cemented more firmly than before.

Before he got too far away, he heard a conversation start up behind him. He paused and glanced behind him.

Apparently, Yu had noticed that Mika was up and was trying to catch up to him.

Mika vaguely wondered if he would ever have privacy again.

"So, you even told Mika that you were on this job as my bodyguard, huh?" came Guren's cold voice as Yu approached. "You're not much for secrets, are you?"

"Huh?" asked Yu, looking baffled with a tilt of his head. "No? I only said I did security at the estate sometimes…"

Guren stiffened.

"Eh…" mumbled Yu. Even though he was mumbling, his voice still carried through the rooms. As usual, his voice seemed to echo. "No way… Don't tell me… Guren… Guren, did you… Did you get out-smarted by a seventeen-year-old?"

Guren banished all expression from his face.

Yu's lips stretched out into a wide grin, and his laughter resounded down the hall. Guren abruptly punched Yu in the gut and then kicked the back of Yu's knees, sending him crashing to the floor. Yu continued giggling to himself as if he hadn't been touched at all. Guren shook his head and walked away.

Mika promptly started moving his feet and made his way to the kitchen. He learned three important details: Yu was a bodyguard, the two were definitely hiding other secrets, and Guren was surprisingly violent.

Mika made a note to avoid being in Guren's striking range if he ever decided to provoke him for some reason or another.

He wondered if Yu would be okay after being hit like that and glanced behind him before stepping into the kitchen. Surprisingly, Yu looked like he was doing fine. Maybe Guren didn't hit Yu as hard as he appeared to. When Mika's dad beat him, he never laughed about it. He always cried and apologized and said he would be good, but it always made his father angrier in the end…

Since Yu was laughing, he had to be fine.

Mika shook his head as he closed the kitchen door behind him. If Yu got beat a little, then maybe he'd mind his own business.

The motion made Mika feel dizzy all over again, so he carefully sat on the stool in the kitchen and waited for the room to quit wobbling around him.

Only seconds later, the door slammed open, and Yu happily trudged on through.

"Good afternoon, Mika! If you were up, you should have come and gotten me first! I want to help you with your chores as long as I'm here," he said as bright and sparkling and usual.

Chores? Was that the reason he decided Mika cooked and cleaned the restroom? It was a reasonable conclusion, but it was incorrect. The reason Mika cooked was because he was the only resident who ate human food, and none of those monsters had any sense of human taste. Likewise, he cleaned the restroom because he was the only one who used it. The monsters would bathe since they often got dirty while prowling and hunting in the woods or while bleeding their prey, but they never had a need for the toilets. Of course, if Yu ever realized that, then he might have a far more intimate experience with Chess or one of the others than even Mika had. So intimate, in fact, that he might end up bringing more life to the woods by the castle as a fresh corpse.

The thought sent a shiver down Mika's spine.

"There's no need to help me with my… chores," he replied coolly. "I've been doing them without any trouble all this time."

"But you're still sick," argued Yu as if that ever made any difference before.

Mika wrinkled his eyebrows with puzzlement. It's not like they were friends. If they were friends, Ferid would have killed Yu already after all. Then, Mika sighed, giving in.

He observed Yu's expression and posture for a moment. Yu practically gleamed at the attention.

"Are you okay?" asked Mika, uncertain if he wanted to give Yu the mistaken impression that he cared. "Guren looked like he hit you pretty hard."

"Oh, yeah," said Yu in a care-free tone. "I'm fine! Guren's hit me a lot harder than that during training before, so this is nothing. They're practically love taps!"

 _I knew I'd regret asking_ , thought Mika. And "love taps"? Apparently, Yu decided to stop hiding the bodyguard thing.

Mika took an additional note to never challenge Guren to a fight in close combat, lest he get to experience one of those "love taps" for himself.

"Thank you for asking, Mika," said Yu, blushing and leaning into Mika's personal space.

Mika awkwardly leaned away, uncertain why Yu was always getting so close to him. Did they not respect personal boundaries in England or what?

Suddenly, Yu's eyes grew wide and locked onto Mika, making Mika even more uncomfortable than before and more than a little alarmed. Once again, Yu came even closer, clearly not taking the hint.

"Your ears!" shouted Yu, practically yelling in Mika's ear.

Mika scowled and scooted away. What was wrong with his ears?

"Your ears are curved like mine," said Yu, eyes glittering as if he made some great discovery. "I thought for sure they'd be pointed like everyone else's here! I couldn't tell all this time because your hair was so fluffy, it was in the way. You look nice with it pulled back, by the way."

Mika looked at him incredulously. Yu assumed he was like those monsters? Well, Ferid _had_ been lying to them about Mika being his child all this time, so maybe that was why.

"Your eyes don't have that rusty color to them either," noted Yu. "I guess you got your looks from your mother."

Mika froze as if doused with cold water. His mother…

"Are you hungry or not?" asked Mika, abruptly changing the subject.

"Hungry!" said Yu cheerfully.

After having successfully diverted Yu, Mika got him to help prepare their meal. He had an unpleasant sinking feeling that intrusive questions and a pesky guest would soon be the least of his concerns.

They cooked and they ate and they played.

And like that, weeks passed by. The summer heat rose, but the skies remained as dark and gloomy as ever. Mika slept often and spent most of his waking hours with Yu. They played board games, or Mika explained books to him. Mika even helped Yu with his homework, which consisted of some basic math and an essay analyzing the rhetoric of one of Shakespeare's plays. It was nothing difficult, but it made sense for Yu to struggle so much if he had been telling the truth about not learning to read until he was twelve.

Perhaps the rest of the story Yu told about his life before meeting Guren was true after all.

Mika's only reprieve was when Yu went to the restroom or went out hunting alone. Mika warned Yu to stay on the same path they walked before, and, so far, Yu returned unharmed by dusk every evening without fail. Such good fortune would not last forever, so Mika often went out with him when he was feeling better. After all, not all the beasts here rested during the day like the bloodsuckers. After all, if they had no one to defend them during the day, then wouldn't the human villagers have come and set the castle aflame long ago?

Even when Mika first learned German, he remembered tales about monsters who bled people dry. His father took their words as hogwash. Maybe his mother knew better, but she was too ill to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

"Hey, Mika," said Yu casually as they sat outside under the cloudy skies one day. They sat on a broken, rotting log, and Yu had a book of Shakespeare's plays in his arms. The air tasted moist with a hint of rain, and the sky let out a gentle rumble. "You know, you're a lot better at English than I expected. Even though _Macbeth_ uses such old English, you understand it pretty well."

"Mm," agreed Mika as he stared up at the brooding sky.

"Did you start learning it when you were little?"

"Yeah. My father spoke English since he traveled around so much. That was how he met my mother," answered Mika truthfully, trying to avoid thinking so hard about Yu's probable fate.

In the past, whenever Ferid's guests had lingered long enough to realize just how abnormal the residents were—and Mika sensed that this now held true for Yu and Guren—Ferid would never let them leave peacefully. All Ferid's other human guests ended up drained and thrown to the wolves for their bones to be scattered over the mountain. That, or they became mere puppets to him, appearing normal but lethargic when allowed to follow their own whims but dispassionate servants when his orders took effect. Those enthralled by him would do anything he commanded, whether it be committing suicide or restraining their own family to be devoured by Ferid's ilk.

"Oh? So Ferid and your mom used to travel a lot? What's your mom like? I've never heard anything about her," said Yu.

Mika frowned. Had Ferid ever met his mother? She was long dead before Mika ever encountered him, but he supposed it was possible. Ignoring the first question, Mika decided to answer the second one.

"She was… She was beautiful," said Mika uncertainly.

Mika felt Yu's eyes boring into him. Mika avoided looking at Yu, and the guilt from words unsaid weighed down on him, making him feel unusually heavy.

"Do you take after her?" prodded Yu. "You don't really look like Ferid."

Mika stood up without warning and walked into the woods. Dry grass crunched under his feet, and he habitually steadied the rifle on his shoulder. He increased his pace, moving quickly once he heard steps behind him.

"Mika! Hey, Mika!" called Yu nervously.

Mika kept moving. After spending so much time with this tenacious, clingy pest, he knew Yu would never let him rest without an explanation.

The dead branches twisted around them in a silent menace, as if ready to consume them should they take a wrong step. After several minutes, the grass became green again, and shrubs and trees had leaves. Of course, the trees around the castle must have had leaves in the past or else they could not have grown. Whatever curse plagued the land was weaker the farther one was away from the castle.

They walked for several minutes until Mika only heard his own footsteps moving forward. He paused and looked behind him.

Yu was staring at a human rib cage half-buried in some bushes. Several of the ribs were broken or missing. The marks from wolf fangs left impressions on the dirty bone from when they scraped away the muscle and fat. Yu used his foot to nudge the rib cage free. Several thoracic vertebrae remained to hold the ribs in place.

Unlike Yu's normal relaxed or enthusiastic expressions, Yu now appeared more serious and deep in thought.

 _Excellent_ , thought Mika. _He actually has some functional brain cells in there._

When Yu turned and looked at Mika, his expression lit up.

Mika quickly turned and continued his trek, ducking under tree branches and walking into rougher ground with more nature and roots disrupting their path. Hearing the sound of water, Mika looked around before veering uphill to the right.

Yu loyally chased after him without asking a single question, making Mika once again doubt Yu's sensibilities. When one found human remains, wasn't it natural to ask why they were there? And when someone else noticed them and moved on as if it weren't a surprise, didn't that make that person a prime suspect? This Yu was really something else, Mika decided.

Several minutes later, Mika stepped out of the trees onto the bank of a stream. The stream twisted through the earth, sinuously flowing through the winding gash gracefully and naturally. The water danced over a series of small waterfalls, glittering in the faint light of this perpetually dim place. To him, the sound of flowing water was like piano music with the chirping of insects acting as its accompanying violin. The sounds of life here were vibrant and fresh, unlike the somber quiet and scent of death permeating through the castle grounds.

Yellow flowers dotted the banks on either side. On the far side, a tree's large roots cut into the corner of the stream, clearly demarcating where the water had eroded into the embankment.

Mika panted, catching his breath now that he reached his destination. Even though he felt much better, he still believed he had less stamina now than when he'd been able to keep his blood to himself, free from the jaws of those monsters. Of course, Ferid had been draining his blood for so many years now, Mika no longer knew what it felt like to not be anemic and to have the energy and freedom to do as he pleased.

Yu stomped through the bushes. Mika heard something snap and then Yu cursed. Yu soon popped out of the woods, and his green eyes automatically trailed after Mika before turning to the beauty surrounding them.

"Wow," he muttered. His eyes were nearly sparkling as much as the stream

Seeing that Yu liked this place, Mika relaxed. He dusted off a boulder on the bank and sat down. The palpitations of his heart slowed down and grew more regular.

"You didn't tell me there was such a pretty place around here, Mika," said Yu, joining Mika on the boulder without waiting for an invitation. Yu set his rifle next to the stone.

"Mm," agreed Mika. "Noisy, too."

The flowing water would muffle their voices, preventing anyone from listening in on them.

Mika grimaced as he realized what he needed to do. Guilt weighed him down as if the ghosts of his dead friends were clinging onto his arms and gazing up at him with their lifeless eyes.

"My parents," began Mika roughly as he pointedly gazed at the stream and not at Yu, "met when they were traveling through Europe. My father did some trading here and there, but he liked to travel most of all and never stayed in one place too long. He enjoyed learning new languages and visiting new cultures. While in Russia, he met my mother. She was so beautiful when he met her, he said she was like a fairy in the snow.

"She had been cavorting with some gypsies at the time, having cut ties with her own family long ago. My father had long been estranged from his relatives, and I don't know anything about them either. When they met, they fell in love right away.

"I don't know if they ever got officially married since they didn't have any family to invite and never stayed in one country for long, but they treated each other as husband and wife.

"They spent every day together and planned out their future. Before long, they went traveling, going through the wilds and visiting beautiful places. They saw waterfalls and majestic forests, exotic deserts and Arabic gold, expansive cities and elaborate cathedrals… My mother was so energetic and enthusiastic, she could travel for days at a time and even forgo sleep until she finally wore herself out and would then sleep for days at a time. My father thought it was cute.

"And then, one day, they got pregnant."

Mika wondered if Yu had the impression Mika was telling a sweet love story. Yu didn't seem to realize anything was wrong yet, and Mika felt culpable for destroying this illusion. Part of him wanted to give this tale a happy ending, but the truth was more important.

His eyes flickered at Yu with a remorseful expression. When he opened his mouth to continue talking, it felt dry.

"They were very excited at first. My mother used whatever natural remedies she heard of to give birth to a healthy child. My father even had to hold her back, assuring her that their child would be fine even without all those bizarre concoctions. Then, she suddenly stopped caring. She stopped eating and only slept all day.

"This behavior wasn't unusual for her, but she always perked back up after a few weeks. This time, she didn't, and she was pregnant. My father struggled to make her eat and drink, but he succeeded. Eventually, her mood shifted, and she was once again happy and cheerful. She and my father took care to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

"Since this was her first childbirth, she had a difficult delivery. Even so, she was immensely happy when she gave birth to a healthy, screaming baby boy. My father was delighted that everything was better now, and his wife had returned to normal."

Mika pulled out his flask and took a few gulps of water. He then took a deep breath as the sky grew darker.

Surprisingly, Yu was still listening patiently, even appearing wistful, as if envying this contrived tale when compared to his own drug-addicted parents. He clearly had no idea how this tale would end, and Mika wished he didn't have to shatter that illusion.

"And then, the day after the child was born, everything changed. Although she fed her baby, she stopped taking care of herself. My father had to feed her, bathe her, and brush her hair. She only smiled when she was with her baby.

"A couple of months later, her mood improved again. She became even more eccentric than before, saying queer phrases that made no sense. My father said she had never been the same since their child was born…

"Once the child was a year old, they began traveling again, and they eventually encountered a religious group deep in the mountains. They reminded her of her of her days with the gypsies, so she convinced him to stay with that group for a while. Soon, she became invested in practicing rituals supporting their so-called 'blood god.' My father only saw it as drivel. While they prayed and danced and smoked strange things, he took up drinking instead. He let my mother dance for days and enjoy herself with her delusions and didn't interfere because she was happy.

"Even so, her mood swings continued. The more elated she became, the more melancholy she'd become afterward. If she were happy for a week, she would be depressed for a month. To cope with it all, dad indulged even more in liquor, drinking so much that he couldn't distinguish one day from another. He joked that it made him match up with my mother better."

Mika's hand trembled slightly as he brushed his hair behind his ear. He took a deep breath.

"When he drank, he became violent… No matter how much I begged or apologized, he wouldn't stop hitting me. I know about how my parents met and lived before I was born because he always complained and ranted about it when he was drunk. Every day, he reminded me that it was my fault—that everything would be alright if I hadn't been born. My mother never really seemed to see what was going on in front of her. She would just smile with an unfocused gaze and acted like nothing happened."

"It's not your fault for being born, Mika. It's not your fault your mom was sick," stated Yu passionately, moving close enough to bump his shoulder into Mika's. His eyes were narrow with anger, and his jaw clenched with rage. "He had no right to treat you that way."

"…I know, Yu," answered Mika softly, leaning slightly away as Yu neared him. Yu's breath was warm. "I'm not finished yet."

Yu frowned deeply but pursed his lips shut. Yu must have been taking it personally because he thought Ferid was Mika's dad. Ferid never hit him, but Mika would have preferred that to his sensual bites. Since the feeding sent an unnatural euphoric sensation running through Mika, he felt disgusted with himself time after time. Unlike his real dad, Ferid isolated him from the world and killed off any human companions he made. Even though Ferid was not his dad and neither hit him nor cursed him for being born, he produced a different type of malevolence.

It was not wrong for Yu to hate Ferid.

"They stayed with that group for many years. When I was seven," continued Mika, "my father was driving one of their carriages through the mountains on a rainy night. Only my parents and I were there. The rain poured down heavily. My mother held me and chanted the same nonsense she'd been fixated on that month. Then, she threw me out onto the muddy, rock-filled road as the carriage continued speeding on... The rocks scraped my skin, and everything hurt. I had trouble getting up after that. I called out to them, and my mother waved at me. They never once slowed down. Then, when I finally got to my feet, a landslide pushed them down the mountain, sparing me and only me.

"Several days later, the cult group found their bodies."

Yu stiffened as a confused expression and then realization crossed his face.

"They took me to a nearby village not far from here," said Mika. "I believe you and Guren stayed there briefly at the Golden Crone Hotel before meeting up with Crowley."

Mika took a swig of his water. His throat was hoarse from talking so much, and he still had something vital to share before nightfall. After sharing his early childhood with a human for the first time in several years, he felt… drained. It was almost like those bloodsuckers had taken a bite out of him during the affair. At the same time, he felt relieved.

"Wait, wait," said Yu, speaking up again. "What do you mean? I thought Ferid said he was your dad."

Mika slowly turned his head to look at Yu. Yu's emerald eyes seemed darker than usual, angry and concerned. Mika wished he had a happier tale to tell him.

"He said that," Mika agreed softly. He looked back toward the ground. "We're not related. I'm not adopted either… It was probably just a joke of his. That, or he was acting like he had a kid to appear more approachable. He's done that before to make people let down their guards."

"Huh?" asked Yu, tilting his head. "But why would he—"

Mika sighed and looked away again.

"Once the cultists dropped me off in the village, I lived with a bunch of other kids. Most of them had parents who died from illness and accidents, but they were born and raised here in Transylvania. Although I didn't know where my parents were born or even in which country _I_ was born, they accepted me right away. More than my parents, these were the people I considered to be my family. Unlike the kids you grew up with, they didn't hold me at a distance because I was different.

"The first time I met Ferid was when I was eleven. The villagers all feared him, but they never dared to speak badly about him. He and his servants visited the village occasionally and brought many gifts, including warm blankets and many types of food. He even brought toys and new clothes for us.

"He did things like this during the years I'd been there, but I had only ever seen him from a distance, if at all. He seemed nice at first. Generous, wealthy, and powerful. I didn't mind chatting with him as long as it kept us from going to bed hungry," continued Mika, his expression growing dark again.

"And so, I got along with him. He visited more frequently. We got more supplies, and we didn't have to go to bed hungry anymore."

Mika paused and shifted uncomfortably. The boulder made his bottom sore, and the air was getting chilly. Thunder grew louder, and half of him desperately hoped the sky would split open and shower them with rain just so he could avoid discussing this. The other half of him knew better. If he wanted to get Yu out of here, to help Yu survive, then he had to tell Yu all he could, no matter how much it hurt.

His eyes flickered uneasily to Yu, who was staring at him with patience and rapt attention. Mika swallowed anxiously, feeling like he was gulping down broken glass instead of saliva.

"We got more supplies," repeated Mika, "and then, one day, he invited us to his castle.

"The place we stayed in had leaks in the roof, and the chilly wind had an easy time getting through the thin, damaged walls. It wasn't unusual for one or two of us to die in the winter, especially with the littlest kids. Since we heard he didn't have any children, we hoped he might adopt one or more of our little ones to be his heir. Even becoming his servants would open up a great future for us, or so we thought…"

Mika's calm expression suddenly broke, turning ugly as he grimaced and his eyes grew watery. His voice cracked when he spoke again.

"We were wrong," he said so softly, it was almost a whisper.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder followed it a moment later. Mika didn't have much more time. It would be dusk before long, too. And, at dusk, without fail, the undead would rise. Mika grimaced, his eyes feeling hot and his throat feeling constricted.

Even so, no matter how much it hurt, he couldn't postpone this any longer.

"We went with them at the beginning of May, shortly after my birthday. The first few days we were there weren't bad, and we got used to living at the castle. We were spoiled by the food and shelter. Then came St. George's Day…"

Mika took a deep breath, forcing his rampaging emotions back under control. He swallowed.

"Yu, did you know St. George's Day is also known as the 'Feast of St. George'? That night, Ferid let us outside," Mika continued, his voice hoarse. He forced himself to speak anyway. "They were many people standing with Ferid, people that I did not recognize… They laughed… and then they… They hunted us. They chased us… Ferid kept me, but… everyone else… All my friends, my family were… Everyone…"

Mika's eyes felt hot, and he jolted when a pair of arms unexpectedly wrapped around him, holding him in place.

He blinked as tears ran down his face. When had he started crying?

Yu pulled him tighter. His black hair tickled Mika's nose. The warm embrace felt so unfamiliar, Mika stiffened, uncertain of how to respond. Just how many years had it been since Mika had felt a human hug? Ferid hugged him sometimes, but he was cold and the hug unwelcomed. Yu put a hand against the back of Mika's head and pulled Mika's face into his shoulder, pressing Mika's tears into his shirt as he brushed through Mika's wavy blond hair with one hand as he squeezed him with the other.

Yu felt warm. Mika could feel the life beating through his body.

Mika trembled and sniffed, letting Yu do as he liked. He didn't know how to respond, but he didn't dislike it. Yu smelled of pine, earth, and sweat. It was a very human smell.

After indulging in this foreign affection for several moments longer than he felt he should, Mika unsteadily raised his hands and nudged Yu away. Since when had he become so weak he needed warmth from another person?

Mika knew that, no matter how friendly Yu was, he himself was destined to be alone until Ferid finally grew bored of him and ended his miserable life.

When Yu let go slowly. Mika felt his eyes on him as he rubbed his sore, red eyes.

"Since then," said Mika, "all the villagers know not to run outside during the Feast of St. George. It is known as the night where all the evil things in the world have full sway... Of course, they don't go outside at night anyway but especially not during the feast."

Sprinkles of water dotted his nose and hair as the rain finally found them.

"For some reason, Ferid didn't celebrate as much as usual this year, and they cut their hunt short when they noticed you were near… He might change his mind any time." Mika grabbed Yu's hands as the water dripped down their faces. Some of it was salty and some of it was from the sky. Mika's throat hurt. He stared deeply into Yu's eyes. "You and Guren must leave after sunrise and get as far away from here as possible. I don't know how much longer he'll spare you…"

Thunder and lightning crashed down around them as if signaling the onset of the Apocalypse.

Mika was wet and cold. He blamed his shivering on the rain and tried to mask the terror he had lived through every day for the past five years.

He and Yu would be soaked and filthy by the time they returned to the castle.

Mika stood up, stretching his legs. He could only hope Yu would take his advice and flee. If not, there was little else he could do for them. After all, even he could only tell them so much. With the storm and running water to drown out his words, this was his best chance to keep from being overheard. Guren seemed like an intelligent man, so hopefully he would be able to lead Yu safely. If they didn't escape with haste, then they would only end up like the owner of that rib cage in the forest. After all the time Yu spent with Mika, given how possessive Ferid was, Mika highly doubted Ferid would let Yu survive as a puppet. It might be possible for Guren, but he would never let Yu live.

After all, Ferid had a hobby of ripping Mika's friends from him, both metaphorically _and_ literally.

When Mika stepped away, a hand wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from returning to his stone cage just yet.

"Mika," started Yu as the rain poured down around them.

Mika flinched, knowing Yu would never believe such a fanciful, if barbaric, tale. He probably thought Mika just wanted attention. If Yu would end up dead either way, then he should have just kept it to—

"Mika," repeated Yu, stepping closer to him and taking Mika's other hand in his own as well, "thank you. Thank you for warning me. It must have been really hard, but… Mika," he continued, clasping Mika's hands with both of his and squeezing gently, "there's no way I can leave you here."

Mika blinked.

"Huh…?" he spluttered with surprise. After a moment of confusion, Mika regained his pose. "No," he said. "You can't take me with you. I'll go in the opposite direction from you, so they'll track me down instead of you."

"Nope!" said Yu with a sad smile as the world pelted rain down around them. "You've been here long enough."

As the rain drenched them, soaking into their clothes and drowning out the sounds of their voices, hope made Mika's heart feel like it would soar. Unfortunately, he knew too much about this world to give in to such naïve thoughts. Even so… Even so, it wouldn't be bad to just pretend for a few minutes, just a few minutes, that he could be free of his cage and the deep, deep shadows encompassing it…


	11. 15 June 1897

15 June 1897.

That afternoon, Yu dragged Mika back to the castle with him. They each had their rifles, but it was doubtful if they would even fire, give how soaked they now were. Yu's soggy book on Shakespeare stuck out of the back of his pants, but he just ignored it.

"I can't leave the castle with you. If I do, I have to run separately! If I'm with you, they'll definitely catch you," spluttered Mika.

"Nope! I can't leave you behind, Mika," said Yu flashing a smile back at him.

"It's too dangerous!" said Mika urgently as they ducked under some tree branches. "You know how to fight and hunt, so you can survive on your own. You know enough German to get by without me. I'll only hold you back!"

"I'm not leaving without you, Mika," Yu stated firmly as if this illogical decision weren't up for debate.

"But if you're with me, you'll die!"

Yu stopped running.

Mika caught his breath as lightning lit up the sky and thunder rattled the earth. His wrist hurt from Yu's grip.

"Mika," said Yu as he turned around and grasped both of Mika's hands once again, "you're my friend. Friends don't leave friends behind. If we're going to Hell, then we're going together… Besides," continued Yu, smiling gently, "even if you weren't my friend, I couldn't leave you behind here."

His friend? No, Yu couldn't be Mika's friend. If they were friends, then—

"You can't be my friend!" exclaimed Mika, fear leaking through his voice. "If you're my friend, then, even more, Ferid will definitely—"

"But he's going to kill me anyway, right?" said Yu, interrupting as he lightly rubbed his thumbs against Mika's palms. "Besides, if we weren't friends, then would you have told me all this? If we weren't friends, then you would've just continued acting like a jerk like you had back when we first met, to try and chase Guren and me away. I didn't realize it back then, Mika, but thank you… You only acted that way to try and save us."

Yu stepped forward to try to give Mika a reassuring hug, but Mika responded by stepping back and looking at Yu with confusion. Yu ignored Mika's awkward reaction and stepped back to a proper distance, continuing to rub Mika's palms as he prayed Mika would be too distracted to notice they were still holding hands.

"And besides," continued Yu, smiling gently, "you're only lying about our friendship in order to protect me. Doesn't the fact that you care so much about my well-being make us friends?"

 _Oh_ , thought Mika, suddenly realizing why Ferid had given him such a knowing look every time he denied being friends with Yu. This entire time, Ferid had already considered Yu to be Mika's friend and marked him as an "interesting" target.

Without realizing it, Mika had already put Yu in grave danger. The horrible realization dawned on him, making him feel like it was crushing him under its wicked grasp, and, so, he trembled.

Sayuri Hanayori rushed inside with the hotel's linen just as the rain started. Her wavy brown hair was plastered to her forehead and her shoulders were damp, but she managed to save the laundry before it became soaked with rain water. Just like every day, the twenty-four-year-old unmarried woman worked hard with her chores. She panted heavily, shivering from the chilly rain. After catching her breath, she used her sleeve to wipe the water off her face.

"I've gotten the rest of the linens, Sir!" she announced after she returned to the Golden Krone Hotel.

"Thank you, Dear," said her father from the registration desk. He was a man in his forties but looked closer to his sixties and smoked too much, reeking of tobacco every day. His daughters used to complain about it every day when they were growing up. So did his wife. With age, stress, and tobacco, his hair had faded to a murky gray color, and his had deep wrinkles as if he were crying.

"By the way, Father," she began as she set the basket on the counter and sheepishly brushed a curl or hair behind her ear, "have you heard anything about Mr. Ichinose recently?"

"Mr. Ichinose? That oriental-English fool who walked right into the fangs of Castle Bathory?" asked her father snidely. His beard parted to reveal his wide mouth. "Not at all. He must have already met his demise. The people who venture there rarely return, especially around St. George's Day. Even if they do return, you wouldn't want to meet them."

"Hm," she murmured. "Well, that's true…"

"I don't understand," he continued, voice raspy, "why you don't just move to another town or even a city to find yourself a husband. You're already getting up there in years."

"You know why," she said with a sigh. "If I left, it would only be you and mom here to manage the hotel. Mom can hardly walk up the stairs anymore, and your cough gets worse every year."

"We can just hire some local kids to work here. People keep… _disappearing,_ or else move away anyhow. We hardly have any guests as is, so it's not like there is much left to do. In another decade, this will be a ghost town with naught but us elderly, stubborn old fools residing here. Soon enough, the rest of us will die off, and this place will be just as empty as the other ghost towns on this mountain… It's better for the young people to leave as soon as they can, before it's too late."

"It's not like cities any safer," she replied logically.

"Yes," agreed her father, "but at least, the people there don't have to worry about being _feasted_ on."

"Hm," she murmured, her gentle brown eyes frowning as she considered her options. She could certainly move away, leaving this dilapidated hotel to her parents while she fled to somewhere safer. She was already almost beyond a marriageable age, and most of the men who traveled through here were not as attractive, rich, or intelligent as Mr. Ichinose. He was by far the best-looking man she had seen in over a year, and her heart hadn't fluttered like that for someone since she was a teenager.

Sayuri leaned against the desk, holding her hand to her chest as she fiddled with the childish heart-shaped locket on her necklace.

As she recalled Mr. Ichinose's narrow eyes and his full, lonely lips, a blush colored her cheeks. Although he was a gentleman, his hands were still rough from use, and he had firm muscles like a soldier. It was clear he was cunning and worked hard. Sayuri really wanted to get closer to him. He felt dependable, like they could survive no matter what if she married him.

Even so, it had already been six weeks…

Sayuri frowned as she rubbed her thumb against the warm metal of the locket.

Against her warnings, he had entered Bathory Castle on one of the most horrific nights of the year. She gave him her rosary to protect him, but he had yet to return… Undoubtedly, he had ended up like those children five years ago and had been devoured by the demons who resided there.

She gazed somberly out the window at the heavy, gray downpour drowning the lands with water. Perhaps it was time for her to finally make her move and flee this cursed land.

She tucked the worn locket in her blouse and prayed she wouldn't lose anyone else before she finally met the person just for her.

"We need to talk," said Yu, walking toward Guren as he dripped water onto the numerous rugs decorating the castle floors. Guren was once again sitting in the library. As the thunder roared outside, he continued writing in his notebook while flipping through the ancient text he had be using since before they'd arrived.

"Oh?" asked Guren, raising an eyebrow at the water dripping down Yu and the puddle forming beneath his feet. "Mika locked you out in the rain, so you've decided to you're ready to go home?"

"No!" said Yu defensively, clutching his hands into fists. He flinched as his voice came out louder than he intended. Going by what Mika said, there were ears everywhere, so he had to take care not to speak too loudly. Considering how paranoid Mika appeared, then speaking aloud about any of this would be a _very_ bad idea.

"Can I borrow your pen?" asked Yu cautiously, deciding to use the strategy Mika recommended. "And some paper?"

Guren gazed at him with a thoughtful expression and then pushed the pen and inkwell toward Yu. Flipping to the back of his notebook, he casually tore a page out and handed it to Yu.

Yu grabbed them gratefully as he stood at the table. He thought for a moment before scratching out words in _hiragana_ and _katakana_. His note included the occasional _kanji_ as well, but he had never been proficient at writing in Japanese. He scowled as he carefully made cumbersome strokes on the paper and then passed it to Guren. Water from Yu's hands smudged some of the ink and made the paper damp.

Guren frowned, reading the note.

When interpreted into English, it said something like this:

 _Mika says we're in grave danger. Ferid hunts and kills people around here, and Mika isn't really his son. Mika says we need to escape after dawn and get as far away from here as possible. I want to take Mika with us. I can't leave him in this place._

Guren sighed, his face becoming solemn.

"And how do you know if this is even true?" he asked quietly, returning the paper to Yu.

Yu frowned, hoping Guren's speech was too ambiguous for the "ears" of the castle to pay any attention. He anxiously scribbled his response down and handed it back. With another thought prodding his mind, Yu quickly took the note back and added another sentence.

 _I saw human remains in the woods where Mika took me. This place has given me the creeps from the start, and even the villagers tried to warn us._

"I see," said Guren, staring at the note seriously while he tapped his finger against the desk. Water continued to drip off Yu to the floor. "Where is he now?" asked Guren vaguely.

"Taking a bath since we got soaked in the rain," answered Yu, watching Guren's reaction carefully.

"And how do you know he's telling the _entire_ truth?" asked Guren coldly.

"Because I know—"

"Don't even say that it's because you know him. You've only known him for a month and a half, and he spent the first week of that being as rude as he was permitted and the rest of those weeks trying to avoid you. Then, out of the blue, he reveals this big, dark secret. Why?"

"That's… That's because…" Actually, why _had_ Mika suddenly opened up? Ever since Yu told Mika about his past, Mika had moments where he looked deep in thought and where his expressions betrayed deep pain. Today, Mika led him away when Yu started asking about his mom, but he looked like he had been struggling for a while.

"I think it's because... we're friends," said Yu softly.

"So, it took you a month and a half, but you finally accomplished the assignment of making friends with Mika, hmm?" asked Guren with a sad smile. It somehow made Guren appear worn and aged several years older than he was.

Yu looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Guren took the quill away and wrote a reply on the note, once again writing in Japanese:

 _If Mika_ is _telling you the truth, then he's put himself at risk. If he isn't, it's quite a prank. I have finished my business here, so we can secretly leave tomorrow morning, as you asked._

Yu's expression lit up.

 _However, Mika isn't revealing everything. If they have been hunting people, then he would have to be involved somehow. If he is not the prey, then he could either be one of the hunters or he might be assisting them. In that case, he is not as innocent as he claims. Otherwise, why else has he been kept alive here so long? What is his relationship with the count?_

 _Mika is still hiding_ _secrets_.

Yu frowned and clenched his wet fists as Guren underlined that last word.

Guren looked at him seriously and then sighed, adding one final line:

 _We cannot entirely trust him._

Yu bathed quickly and toweled himself off before running up to Mika's room. His hair was still damp, but he didn't want to leave Mika's side longer than he had to. He knocked loudly on Mika's door and then barged inside. He shut it behind him.

Mika was sitting at his desk. He turned and glared at Yu, who had intruded on him once again without any regard for his privacy. Mika sighed and turned back toward the mirror in his hand as he examined his neck.

"You got the knocking part right," said Mika coolly, his tone annoyed, "but now you need to learn to wait until I tell you to come in."

"Well," said Yu coyly, feeling relieved that Mika was still safe, "until now, you would always just ignore me and never tell me to come in. Does this mean you're going to invite me in from now on?"

Mika stiffened. Yu grinned until he realized what was in Mika's hand.

"Hey, wait!" he asked. "Is that a _mirror?_ You actually have a mirror?! Do you know how often I've looked for one since I arrived here?" he rambled, approaching Mika and inspecting the mirror.

It was appeared to be made of silver or a similar metal. Angelic wings spread out from the handle in Mika's hand, and feathers curved around the mirror in remarkable detail.

" _Whoa_ ," said Yu. "That's a really nice mirror." He took it from Mika's hands without asking and looked it over. An inscription was on the back. All that Yu could distinguish was that it was in cursive and… not English. He frowned. "What's this say?"

Mika hesitated, making Yu look at him curiously.

"'To Mika from Ferid, with love,'" answered Mika slowly.

Yu fumbled with the mirror, nearly dropping it. He awkwardly returned the mirror to Mika with an expression between disgust and bemusement. Why would someone gift something of such exquisite craftsmanship to his fake son? Guren's question about Mika and Ferid's relationship echoed in his mind. He had the revolting suspicion that Mika was neither Ferid's fake son nor a mere target for him to hunt down.

When Mika spoke in the woods, he had implied Ferid would chose to come after him than to come after Yu and Guren. He had spoken as if he had no doubts about this fact.

A mixture of rage and pain churned in his gut.

What was the nature of Mika and Ferid's relationship? Yu highly doubted Mika helped Ferid with the hunt after having such a traumatic past. It was more believable to think that Mika was plotting Ferid's murder instead. In that case, what did Mika mean to that unearthly man who made Yu's skin crawl? Why did Ferid torment him and then always keep him by his side, imprisoned here in this castle, even when Mika loathed him to such an extent he wanted to run away?

What was he? Was he Ferid's pet, or was he—

Yu couldn't ask.

Yu absolutely couldn't ask.

Mika accepted the mirror, smiling mirthlessly as he studied the fading yellow bruises on his otherwise pale and slender neck. When Mika lightly touched the bruises, Yu was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to claim Mika for himself and replace the bruises with hickeys.

Just how strong was Chess to hurt him that badly and to require Horn and Crowley to yank her off him?

 _Mika is still keeping secrets_ , echoed Guren's voice in his head. Yu swallowed.

Yu wanted to ask Mika about the bruises, but he felt like he couldn't. No, he felt like he shouldn't. His mouth felt dry, and a drop of water slid down his neck from his damp hair.

"Why aren't there any other mirrors in this place?" asked Yu instead.

"…Superstition," answered Mika carefully, making Yu feel more curious.

"Is that the only mirror in the castle?"

"No. The others here have mirrors, but they keep them hidden."

"Why is that?" asked Yu.

Oddly enough, Mika frowned but did not answer, which Yu thought was odd. Mika had told him so much personal information already that there was no reason for him to hide details about the mirrors from him.

Yu gazed at Mika pensively.

"Well, I chatted with Guren, and he said it's fine if we spend all day out hunting together tomorrow. He said he could just eat some bread to avoid starving," said Yu calmly. Of course, they hadn't discussed anything like that. Yu was actually referring to their plan about absconding with Mika. Frankly, Yu had been surprised by how easily Guren agreed to it, but he supposed mentioning the corpse deep in the woods worked well as evidence. Guren had always favored Yu anyway.

"Mm. Understood," replied Mika calmly. He looked exhausted from earlier. Whether it was from running around outside all day or from telling Yu so many secrets about his past, Yu didn't know.

Mika placed the mirror back in his drawer, hiding it from sight.

"Hey, Mika," said Yu, lightly touching Mika's shoulder. Mika flinched, and Yu drew his hand back. "Uh… I am… I am really looking to going hunting with you tomorrow."

"Mm," hummed Mika noncommittally. He looked down. His blue eyes looked somber and nervous.

Yu swallowed, desperately wanting to comfort him.

"Mika," he whispered, leaning closely to his friend, "can I stay in your room tonight? Just in… Just in case…"

For once, Mika didn't jerk away from him. However, he shook his head.

"No," he stated simply. Then, he abruptly leaned up to Yu's ear and whispered softly, "They would definitely notice."

Yu's face turned bright red when Mika's breath hit his ear, and abruptly stood straight up. As startled as he was, his heart pounded, and he regretted moving away from Mika. Honestly, he really hoped Mika would do that again.

"I'm heading to bed," stated Mika, quirking an eyebrow at Yu's behavior, clearly clueless about why Yu was behaving so red-faced and awkwardly. "I'm too tired from earlier."

"Haha," laughed Yu awkwardly, praying his blush would hurry up and fade away. "Yeah, you do get sick easily, right? And then, we were stuck out in the rain… Hahaha… Right, right… So I will just, uh, let you get some sleep," he muttered clumsily, backing up toward the door.

The last thing Yu saw before stepping into the hall and shutting Mika's door was Mika's bewildered expression. Yu's face turned bright red once more, and he closed it quickly.

He crouched down in the hall, clutching his burning face as he sighed at the floor.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered to the head of a bear skin rug. "Why can't I be suave in my actions as I am in my head?"


	12. 16 June 1897, Morning

16 June 1897, Morning.

The night passed without incident. The following morning, Yu, Mika, and Guren met in the dining room. Yu and Mika prepared breakfast, and they ate quickly before exiting the castle with what luggage they considered essential. Anything they considered to not be vital was left behind. Yu was positively thrilled that this meant leaving behind his homework and textbooks. He had a genuine excuse for not finishing it this time, and he could convince Mika to help him with any makeup work once he returned. He was grateful he didn't buy any souvenirs since they would have been abandoned as well. Even so, Yu and Guren still had some business materials to take with them. Mika traveled the lightest while the two guests insisted on carrying some of their heavier luggage, causing Mika to look at them with bewilderment. Even so, he didn't stop them.

Surprisingly, Guren split his bags evenly with Yu instead of dumping all of it Yu like usual.

The sky was gray, and the air was cool. A faint mist coated the ground this early in the day, but it would undoubtedly dissipate with the sun's rays. The dead plants dripped with yesterday's rain, and puddles glistened prominently in the shadows.

Mika led the way, surprising Yu when he said he could get them to town by foot before evening.

"What?" asked Yu. "I think it took several hours to get up here by carriage."

"Crowley probably took you on a detour," answered Mika, unconcerned. "I don't know if he just wanted to confuse you or give the others time for their… _party_ , but it only takes a couple of hours by carriage coming up the mountain and only one hour when going down. We'll be walking, which will make us slower, but we can go directly down the mountain instead of sticking to the winding roads, which will give us a more direct route."

"Why are we walking instead of taking a carriage?"

"The carriages and horses are locked up tight. Besides, the horses don't obey anyone other than Crowley."

Yu wrinkled his brow as he watched Mika lead their way. Exactly _how_ did Crowley raise his horses to refuse to obey anyone else? Were they trained like loyal attack dogs or what? Even so, Yu held his tongue.

As they began trudging down the mountain, Yu's eyes flickered to his companions. Mika may have been a little strange, but his behavior was consistent. There was always a reason behind his strange words and actions (so far), even if the logic wasn't apparent at first glance. On the other hand, there was a person here distinctly acting far more placid and cooperative than usual…

Guren looked as calm and collected as ever, almost as if everything was moving according to his predictions. Then again, he always had a low-key expression; it was cool and serious when he was conducting business or issuing commands, it was relaxed and lazy when he was neglecting his duties and sending Yu to do chores, and it was placid even when he laughed. It was rare that anyone could really make Guren lose his biscuits laughing these days, and, as far as Yu was aware, only he and Shinya had succeeded in such a feat. In several instances, Shinoa came close to making him laugh, but it was like Guren put in extra effort to keep his face stiff when confronted with her jokes.

Even so, Guren was the Head of the Ichinose Clan. He was their leader. Even though he often treated Yu more like a younger brother than a subordinate, he was Yu's boss. He questioned his subordinates to wrangle every last bit of information from them before crafting his countermeasures against their foes.

Yu didn't notice it last night, but Guren was being more agreeable than usual. Despite the fact that Yu had demanded Guren escape from the count merely because of some words a pretty boy said, Guren hadn't interrogated him too much. This realization unnerved Yu at first, but he relaxed when he realized Guren probably had plans of his own. If Guren had been intending to leave soon, then this wouldn't hamper his plans. Guren wasn't a philanthropist, however. Yu knew he'd have to pay for this favor later. Unlike Yu, Guren wouldn't go along with Mika's statements unless there was clear-cut evidence for his claims and some kind of benefit for himself. If he were genuinely worried by Mika's claims, then he would've investigated things more thoroughly, which meant he had other reasons for leaving the castle so suddenly.

Seeing Guren so at ease kept Yu calm, and he brushed his concerns aside.

Mika, on the other hand, appeared anxious. His eyes automatically darted from one shadow to another, even though he had already assured them that Ferid and the other residents wouldn't be up until dusk. His weariness made Yu feel more alert as he recalled the howling of wolves, which engraved a deep impression on him on the night of their arrival.

Fortunately, Mika's health had been steadily improving, and his sickness hadn't worsened in the past month. He packed a single carpet bag with a change of clothes and money. Oddly enough, Yu saw him pack the mirror in there as well. They were in a rush, so he hadn't had to chance to ask Mika about it then.

Now that they were increasing their distance from the castle, Yu tried not to grimace as he asked, "Why did you pack that mirror, Mika?" Although it was ornate, it was a gift from one seriously vile lunatic and even had an engraving with his name on the back.

"Mirrors are useful," answered Mika vaguely, not looking Yu in the eyes, "and this is the only one I own."

Yu looked at Mika quizzically and sighed. Yu might not have been the brightest candle on the chandelier, but even he could tell Mika wasn't being entirely honest in his answers. Yu believed Mika hated Ferid, so why would he bring along Ferid's gift? Yu believed Mika had a good reason for it, but he wished Mika would be more forthcoming. They were not only friends, but they were fleeing from a noble based on claims made by Mika alone with limited substantiating evidence. Even though Yu found human remains in the woods, they could be from any person hunted down by the wolves or the other beasts who resided there.

As much as he hated to think about it, it was even possible Mika was deceiving them. On the other hand, Yu's gut told him Mika was telling the truth but hiding at least as much as he revealed. That idea also made him uncomfortable, but who didn't have secrets?

He and Guren were still lying about their line of work, after all.

Although Mika's story was suspect, Guren accepted it easily, so Yu decided to not worry about its authenticity too much. Even if Mika tricked them, he supposed Mika had a good reason for it. Anyway, it was Guren's job to think and Yu's job to provide muscle.

Deciding to follow his heart instead of his head, Yu decided not to question Mika's actions too much.

Yu himself had calmly accepted this risky assignment that gave him little more than a few extra pitter-patters from his heart. It wasn't the first time his life was threatened, after all.

Before long, conversation died down between the three (or rather, two since Guren didn't participate), and they deftly moved through the dead woods into greener lands. Yu was surprised by how readily Mika found the easiest paths down the mountain for them. Yu wondered how long Mika had been planning on escaping, but he had a feeling he shouldn't pry. He thought he made Mika cry enough the day before and didn't want to bring up more bad memories.

After several hours, Yu's stomach ached with unsatisfied hunger. Unfortunately, his two companions never brought up taking a rest.

He looked up at the sky. The clouds weren't as thick out here as they were at Bathory Castle. A few sun beams split through them as if marking the way. Most of the rain water had evaporated, but some plants in the shady areas still sparkled with water. It was beautiful when the sun reflected on them, making Yu reminisce of the tales of fairies back home.

Considering how dark and gray and gloomy and downright _stifling_ this estate was, it was refreshing to see some genuine beauty around. Although the count, Crowley, and the maids all had a certain ethereal gorgeousness to them, something about it felt illusory. It was almost as if Mika were the only living thing there.

Speaking of Mika…

Yu glowered as he stared at Mika's back. Mika had been adamant about traveling as quickly as possible and even insisted they continue without taking a single break. If it weren't for his impatience, they would have had lunch already. Even when Yu reminded Mika about how sick he became after Yu challenged him to a hunting competition, Mika seemed utterly unconcerned about his own health.

"If we get caught, then we'll be dead. Isn't that worse for my health?" he had retorted after Yu tried to get him to take a rest several times. Yu grudgingly shut up after that.

Yu was used to running all day when he had to. Guren, too. They could tolerate it, so they put up with Mika's persistent pace without too much complaint. However, Yu's stomach now had an opinion on the matter, and Yu's concern toward Mika was beginning to shift toward resentment. It's not like taking a few minutes to get a bite to eat would leave them skewered on Count Bathory's spear.

"Erm," said Yu awkwardly as he clambered over a large tree root while holding a couple of suitcases, "is anyone else hungry?"

"If we wait," snapped Mika back, "then we'll be caught. We can reach the town before dusk but only if we keep a good pace."

Yu grumbled.

 _Wow, is Mika overly-concerned about getting caught or what? Isn't it fine even if we aren't there by sunset? Even if the count sleeps all day, he surely won't drive a carriage down here in the pitch black of night when any number of obstacles are on the road, right?_ thought Yu. Then, he recalled how expertly Crowley steered them up the mountain the night they first arrived and grimaced.

"We won't get far if we don't refuel ourselves," stated Guren, startling the teens by speaking for the first time in several hours.

With that, Guren stopped walking. Yu gladly did likewise, obediently staying by his boss's side. When Mika didn't hear the other two following him, he turned around, frowning nervously. Obviously, he still resisted the idea of taking a rest and wanted to continue.

Yu was certain Mika must be hungrier and more exhausted than he appeared, but his stubbornness was starting to grate on Yu's nerves.

"If we don't take a break to ingest some calories and let our muscles rest, our pace will dramatically slow down before long, and we will be worn-out by nightfall," explained Guren simply. "Going without food is one thing. Going without food while _hiking_ is another."

Without waiting for Mika to give his consent, Guren placed a pair of heavy bags on the ground and sat down on a fallen log next to them. Yu sat next to him and then sent an uneasy glance Mika's way.

Mika stood uncomfortably in place and restlessly glanced down the mountain and then back in the direction of the castle. Yu wondered if he might be so nervous he would leave them behind. Since that would completely ruin all his plans to try and force Mika to take a break before he collapsed from illness again, Yu decided to speak up.

"Mika, come take a seat," said Yu with a sympathetic smile.

Mika froze before anxiously glanced in the direction of the village as if seriously considering moving on ahead without his companions.

"If you keep walking like this," continued Yu after a moment, "then you'll be too worn out to reach the town by nightfall. You get sick easily, after all. Come have some bread," he said, tearing off part of his loaf and holding it out to Mika. Given how skittish Mika was, Yu felt like he was bribing a wild animal.

The blond teen frowned before finally glancing back at the pair and sighing. He grudgingly walked over and sat next to Yu on the log, gently placing his luggage on the ground. It was notably lighter in weight than Yu or Guren's suitcases. When Mika moved his head back up, half of a loaf of bread entered his mouth.

Mika grabbed and bit into it, wearily eyeing the overly-friendly Yu.

Yu quickly pulled his hand became before Mika could retaliate. He grinned to himself after successfully feeding his friend and began devouring his own bread. Since Mika had maintained a worried expression ever since they left the castle, he didn't want to dawdle too long, even if he had finally convinced Mika to take a short break. Besides that, the bread was tough and hard, not exactly the sort of thing he wanted to keep in his mouth for too long. He chugged water every few bites to wash it down.

Guren, on the other hand, was clearly not as concerned about making haste as Mika was. He ate slowly, chewing his food carefully, before drinking from a flask. Seeing him move more slowly, Yu mimicked him, resigning himself to facing Mika's agitation later. He couldn't have Mika being irritable at Guren alone, after all.

Yu stared at Guren for a moment longer, feeling like something was out of place.

"Guren, is that new flask?" he asked, realizing the metal flask Guren was drinking from was dent-free, unlike the one he brought with him. The one they packed for him ended up with a distinguished dent from one time when Yu tripped with their luggage on the way to Transylvania.

"Mm," grunted Guren noncommittally.

Yu pouted slightly at the failed attempt at conversation before turning to look at Mika who, much to his amazement, had nearly finished gobbling the tough loaf down.

"Whoa, Mika!" exclaimed Yu, abruptly grabbing Mika's wrist and pulling it down. "Easy, easy. No matter how fast you eat, you still have to wait for the two of us, you know? All you're going to do is end up choking."

Yu waited for Mika's response, but he never replied. He did, however, take smaller, more careful bites.

Yu sighed, wondering how he could make this trip less uncomfortable with Guren, who did everything at his own pace, and Mika, who clearly wanted out of the woods like a hellhound was nipping at his heels.

Before long, they finished eating and continued heading down the mountain. The shadows grew longer as they walked, signaling the impending night. The trio managed to maintain a quiet, brisk pace. Even so, Yu wished the atmosphere weren't this gloomy.

Thinking about it more, he was going on a long walk with a boy he liked, but Mika appeared far too distracted to notice Yu's romantic inclinations. Although Guren enjoyed nature hikes and adventure, even he seemed more grimly stoic than usual for some reason. Did he really miss staying at the castle that much?

Seeing as all his attempts to converse with Mika failed spectacularly today, Yu decided to try his luck with Guren and meandered over to him.

"Is something wrong, Guren?" he asked softly. "You seem tense."

Guren's violet eyes glanced at him briefly.

"Isn't it normal to be tense after absconding from a count in a foreign country with his kid? This could be considered kidnapping, you know," stated Guren simply.

"How is it kidnapping if he's the one who chose to run away?" asked Yu, feeling slightly guilty for putting his benefactor in this position.

"Even if the count will forgive Mika, it doesn't mean he will forgive _us_ ," stated Guren. "Mika already suggested splitting up once we reached the town. I agree with his proposal."

Yu looked wistfully at the blond boy ahead of them. Mika ignored their chatter, never even looking back at them.

"We can't just _leave_ him," argued Yu.

"We wouldn't be abandoning him. We would merely be going separate ways… According to you, Mika has lived with the count for five years already. If he was always such a villain, then why would Mika wait so long to flee? Mika seems genuinely terrified of the count, so he doesn't appear to be lying. In that case, why didn't he try to escape before?"

Yu looked confused, scowling as he pondered over Guren's question.

"Haven't you been watching Mika all this time?" asked Guren coldly. "He knows this path well. Even though the sunlight is weak and you can't distinguish the tree on your right from the one on your left, he knows exactly where we are as well as where we're headed _and_ when we'll get there. Do you really think this is the first time he's used this path to escape?"

A cold chill suddenly shot down Yu's spine, and he shot a worried look at Mika's back.

Mika continued trudging down the mountain at a fast pace. His wavy blond hair clung to his neck with sweat, and he had removed his vest long ago. His white dress shirt clung to his skin, distracting Yu with wrinkles clinging delightfully to Mika's lower back. As Mika walked, he only glanced at his surroundings, never hesitating to take the step before him.

It was clear Mika had been down this path many, many times before. As the realization hit him, an icy pit formed in his stomach. Yu swallowed nervously.

"If this trail is really as good as he says it is, then just how did the count manage to recapture him again and again?" asked Guren, giving words to the questions flickering through Yu's mind. "The real action is going to start once we reach the town."

With those words, it suddenly became clear why Mika was so anxious and why Guren was conserving his energy. Like them, Yu also chose to be quiet as they continued their journey, lost in his concerns about what might lie up ahead.

Dusk cloaked the land with fearsome shadows as the sun began its all-too-quick descent. Mika's heart raced frantically as he increased his pace. For some reason, Yu had been quiet for the past few hours, but Mika thought that was probably a good thing. Even if those monsters weren't active during the day and weren't likely to notice anything this far from the castle, he wasn't sure he wouldn't end up lashing out at Yu, given how high-strung he felt.

Not a moment too soon, he inhaled the scent of smoke. He relaxed slightly, and the anxious pacing of his heart thrummed a happier tune as he realized the village was so close.

Now, he had to somehow procure a ride away from here. The safest and fastest way to do that would be to steal horses. He couldn't buy them or make a trade with any of the villagers, unfortunately. If a villager dared help him after all, the punishment would be death—death for that villager and quite possibly that person's family. Ferid didn't have them keep his secrets merely by isolating them on this mountain and bringing gifts to them, after all. Rather, he kept them in check by using more Machiavellian techniques. The idiom of "ruling with an iron fist" was far too gentle to describe the ruthless slaughter that happened more than once at his hands. Since he and his servants clearly demonstrated time and time again how easily they could rip apart human meat with their bare hands, those who remained in this desolate village did not dare to defy him. After all, the corpses of the ones who rebelled were not remotely intact enough to even display at their funerals—assuming any of their friends lived long enough to provide a funeral, that is.

Mika uneasily glanced behind him. The eldest monsters would awaken soon, and it would be mere moments before they noticed Yu's raucous laughter and noisy doings were absent. Mika was under strict orders to always return to the castle before nightfall. When he did not, it usually implied another escape attempt. On the rare occasion that Mika had a mishap in the woods, he was always found quickly.

It would not take them long to realize where Mika had fled to, considering that all the other nearby villages had long since been drained of life. Even if Mika went to one of the ghost towns or remained hiding in the wilderness, it would not be long before the wolves tracked him down, following his scent and leading the bloodsuckers to him. If he wanted to leave them, his only option was to hike down the mountain to this single remaining town and make a run for it. Unfortunately, both he and the monsters knew this, so time was of the essence.

He stopped near the edge of town, hiding behind a tree as he waited impatiently for Yu and Guren to reach him. Once they did, Yu had a worried and confused expression, no doubt wondering what Mika was up to now. Considering how eccentric Mika had been acting, this reaction was expected. Guren, on the other hand, remained calm with a blasé expression. No one who found out the truth of this place had ever remained so at ease about it, which unnerved Mika slightly.

He pushed the concern to the back of his head and focused on the task at hand.

"We need to steal horses and flee by using them. You two know how to ride, right?" he asked quickly. "We should split up to delay the pursuers."

"Won't it take them a few hours to get down here?" asked Yu uneasily after a moment, recalling Guren's foreboding comments from before. He hoped Guren was wrong about Mika's previous failed escape attempts. "If we escape now, then they shouldn't be able to catch up with us, right?"

"Earlier, Mika said it would only take an hour to reach here by carriage, if one were coming down the mountain instead of going up," answered Guren.

"They're fast," added Mika. "As the masters of this domain, it won't be difficult for them to track us down either. Hopefully, you'll have the chance to escape while they're chasing me."

"How do you know they're going to follow you?" asked Yu.

"…They always follow me," answered Mika softly. He turned around and began to walk. "Anyway, let's try to find a stable. No one keeps the horses tied up outside at night because of the wolves."

"Wait, Mika!" said Yu, abruptly dropping his heavy bags with a _thump_ and lurching forward to grab Mika's wrist. He looked uncomfortably at the ground before facing Mika's stern expression with his own determination. "I'm not leaving without you, Mika."

A mixture of bafflement, worry, and impatience fluctuated across Mika's face. "Yu, I can't… I mean, we're both escaping. We're just doing it separately."

"Nope!" stated Yu as if there could be no rational argument about this. "We're leaving _together_."

"Yu, they're going to come after me. If you're with me, then there's no chance you could get away!"

"Doesn't that just mean you think we're going to get caught if we split up?" asked Yu, grasping Mika's wrist more tightly as if to stop him from leaving. Mika's pulse throbbed under his hand. "What's the point of rescuing you if you sacrifice yourself for us, stupid?"

"That," started Mika awkwardly. He grumbled. "Yu… What's the point if we're all caught? I might escape, even if I'm on my own..."

"How many times have you tried to escape already?" spat out Yu, having dwelled on Guren's conclusions all this time. "And how many times have you succeeded? We're your friends—or, at least, _I_ am—Who even knows when it comes to Guren?—and we're going to help you now! Mika, please, let me—"

"We've been spotted," stated Guren nonchalantly as he reached his hand into his pocket.

The two boys turned around to see the loveliest but eldest unwed woman in the village. Part of her tawny hair was arranged into a braided hairband bound on the left side of her head by a cheap hairclip with a sunflower design. The rest of it waved over her shoulders and down her back. She had a smooth, oval-shaped face with small, pink lips. She as a comely, natural beauty. Her almond-shaped hazel eyes grew wide with surprise and excitement as she spotted Guren.

She was quite delighted—up until she noticed Mika, that is. Her expression abruptly grew sharp, her mouth firm.

Mika turned his head away from her.

" _Sie k_ _ö_ _nnen nicht hier sein!_ " she hissed at Guren in German. " _Sie k_ _ö_ _nnen nicht mit ihm sein!_ "

"Huh? What's wrong?" asked Yu in English, puzzled as he tried to follow her German. He grimaced when he realized he should have replied in the same language.

Even so, the woman appeared to have understood the gist of his words. She quickly looked around and then beckoned them to her.

" _Kommt mit mir!_ " she said anxiously to the three before hastily walking behind the Golden Krone Hotel.

When Yu and Guren looked at Mika, Mika nodded. They deftly grabbed their luggage and promptly followed her. Yu never let go of Mika, somehow managing his suitcases with his free hand. Mika didn't seem to mind.

As they ran after her, Yu thought the woman looked familiar and then remembered the rosary that had lied forgotten in his pocket for so many weeks.

If he remembered correctly, she was Sayuri Hanayori, the single woman who fancied Guren so much that she tried to keep him up all night talking. And then, once she found out they were headed to Castle Bathory, she caused a small fuss before Guren got on the carriage.

Since she tried to prevent their encounter with the count back then, did that mean she knew something?

Yu's heart raced in anticipation. As the sunlight faded from this cursed land, Yu glanced at Guren, who seemed as nonplussed as ever. Seeing him remaining so stone-faced and unfaltering put Yu at ease. He then turned toward Mika, who glanced around nervously. Unlike before, his head hung as if guilt were weighing him down. Ever since Sayuri appeared, he neither spoke a word nor urged them to move faster. This bothered Yu, but he decided to learn the truth for himself.

Yu tightened his grip on Mika's wrist, and Mika didn't respond.

He hoped he would get answers. Whether Mika had deceived them or was hiding the truth—or, worse yet, the horrible things he said about the count _were_ actually true—he expected to learn about the whole story behind this matter before the clock struck midnight.


	13. 16 June 1897, Evening

16 June 1897, Evening.

Sayuri led the trio into the Old Crone Hotel through a back entrance. The sight of the familiar animal skin rugs decorating the rustic hotel, marred with unseemly stains and the occasional bullet hole, caused Mika to feel a strong whiff of nostalgia… and more than a bit of foreboding. It had the familiar odor it always had when Mika was young. The smell reminded him of playing here when he was little, so he grew up perceiving this musty scent to be relaxing. Yu, on the other hand, scrunched up his nose, and Guren maintained a stiff expression.

Of course, it had been years since Mika had been welcome here.

He lowered his eyes shamefacedly, feeling as though the ghosts of his past were bearing down on him with a weight so dreadful, it made his spine ache. He turned his attention to Yu's firm grip on his wrist. He honestly didn't know if he would have dared enter the hotel without someone dragging him in here, whether it be the sweet Sayuri, the boisterous Yu, or someone else.

This place was so thick with memories, it was nearly suffocating. Mika both loathed and longed for it at the same time.

Sayuri appeared to be doing well. She was well-groomed and looked healthy, and her clothes didn't have any obvious tears. Even so, she should have left this cursed town years ago. She knew the truth behind this place well, perhaps even better than many of the other survivors here. She knew very well why she could never survive here. She was responsible and kind, having looked after Mika many times before he left with the count. Mika suspected the only reason she remained here, as wise as it would've been for her to do otherwise, was to take care of someone. Her parents, perhaps?

Her innate selflessness was too prominent. Thanks to Mika, her pain had become as deep as her compassion…

He didn't want to be here. Every memory of this place left him feeling like he was drowning in despair. As Sayuri herself had said, Guren and Yu could not be with him, not if they wanted to live to see the dawn.

Even so, Yu still held onto him.

Maybe Yu just didn't understand the German, even though it was so basic. Then again, Mika had told him the same words in English time and time again, and he still insisted on going this far together.

Sayuri ushered them into a large storage closet. She lit a lantern and then locked the door behind them once everyone stepped inside, Mika included. Shelves loaded with linen, towels, and cleaning supplies cluttered the walls. After a moment, Sayuri grabbed a ragged and worn but clean towel and spread it on top of Mika's head, hiding his hair and most of his face.

"Mika," she began rapidly in German, knowing that time was of the essence, "can you speak freely?"

Mika remained still and didn't answer.

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" she said, her expression growing more worried. "You all should have a seat. You must have walked all day," she continued, pulling out a couple of worn and slightly broken chairs for Yu and Guren to sit on.

She herself chose to stand. Yu looked around in confusion at all the German until Mika pushed Yu into one of the chairs and then sat on the floor next to it, between Yu and Sayuri. Guren sat down elegantly, as if he were sitting his posterior upon a throne—that is, until the ratty chair let out a loud groan that sounded like Guren ate too many beans earlier.

Yu quickly turned his chuckle into a cough, but both Sayuri and Mika were too tense to react. Although her expression was gloomy and she was against Mika being with them, she didn't show any signs of being uncomfortable while standing so close to him.

"The castle denizens are monsters," began Sayuri anxiously, glancing up at Guren from under her eyelashes and then lowering her gaze again. She took a deep breath. "They are blood-sucking devils, stronger than any man and a hundred times more wicked. They are as pale and cold as corpses and have pointed ears. Their sanguineous eyes betray their true blood-thirsty nature. Some tales refer to them as _Nosferatu_ while others speak of them as _Vampir_ or _Nachzehrer_. I do not know their origin, but they only appear at night. They also practice bizarre magic. Even now, their appearances are indistinguishable from twenty years ago, when I saw them for them for the first time as a child. Although they maintain the illusion of being alive, they are not living… The two of you must escape from this town before you become the next to slake their unholy thirst—and you must keep away from Mi—from _him_ —or else you won't live through the night!" she continued, gesturing to Mika on the floor.

Guren calmly began replying in well-enunciated German. "The reason Mika—"

"Don't say his name!" hissed Sayuri. "The dead hear all, and the living cannot be trusted!"

"The reason," repeated Guren more slowly, " _he_ insisted on leaving after sunrise was to avoid these nocturnal dead things? You are referring to—"

"Don't speak their names, sir. Please," begged Sayuri solemnly.

"…I understand," said Guren, his eye beginning to twitch with annoyance at being interrupted twice in a row.

"I do not know if they are devils possessing corpses or if they were never living to begin with. They don't rot like the dead, but they don't age like the living either," clarified Sayuri after a pause. "No one knows their origin."

"And why is all of this such a big secret?" asked Guren. It was unclear whether he was accepting her words in stride or was calmly analyzing them for validity. "If they're so evil, then why hasn't anyone put a stop to them? After all, you know where they live."

Yu's expression grew irritated as his eyes flicked between his companions. Aside from the words _Kind_ (child), _Nacht_ (night), and _Name_ (name) he had hardly any idea what they were talking about. Part of him wished he had studied German more seriously, and he was quite certain that only a life-threatening (or Mika-threatening) situation could make him _want_ to study more, while another part wished Guren or Mika would hurry up and translate for him.

"We do not know how to kill them, and we do not have the strength to defeat them. More importantly, they practice cruel and strange magics… They can control a person merely by ingesting that person's blood. They drink from the beasts of the mountain, ordering them to act as their guards and defenders during the day. They drink from the villagers, ordering them to keep their secrets and remain obedient to the rulers here. They drink from castle guests, using them as food or turning them into puppets dancing to their will." She slowly turned toward Mika, her expression dark. "Of course, _he_ is no exception."

"If they are mind-controlling, blood-sucking monsters," replied Guren, "then how are you able to tell us all this?"

"It has been several months since they last preyed on me. The more time that passes once being bitten, the weaker the effects of the hypnosis becomes. Anyway, you must hurry—"

"If they can control one's mind," began Guren, pleased to be the one to do the interrupting this time, "then why didn't they order _him_ to not run away?" He lazily pointed a finger in Mika's direction.

Both Mika and Sayuri's expressions grew ominous at that question. Sayuri's lips came together and stretched out in a firm, straight line. Mika hunched over even more than he had before and pulled the ratty towel lower over his face, so that one could only barely see his lips.

Sayuri glanced at Mika uneasily before looking away and slowly brushing her hair behind an ear.

"That is," began Sayuri softly after a pause as she fidgeted with the heart-shaped locket on her necklace, "because they like to… _hunt him_. Whenever Mi—Whenever _he_ makes a friend or appears to like someone too much, they like to… to tear them away from him. They enjoy… punishing him."

Mika remained silent on the floor, his gaze downcast and unresponsive. Guren narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Sayuri glanced at Mika with a conflicted expression full of both pity and contempt before she looked down, her own expression as full of as much guilt as Mika's as she fiddled with the pendant around her neck.

The room felt like it dropped ten degrees.

Yu's eyes shifted between the three as he tried to interpret what they were talking out. It clearly involved Mika's relationship with the castle denizens, but Yu couldn't deduce much more other than it was a bad relationship. Judging by Sayuri and Mika's reactions, whatever they were talking out would probably make Yu angry. For the first time since leaving England to go on this assignment with Guren, Yu resented the fact he didn't study German seriously. He tightened his grip on the scratched arm of the chair as if he wanted to crush it with his bare hands. After a moment, he realized he had also tightened his hold on Mika's wrist in his other hand, so he quickly loosened it. Thinking more, he shifted his grip from Mika's wrist to his hand, taking care to hold it more tenderly.

For the first time since encountering Sayuri, Mika looked up at Yu. He just as quickly looked back down, but he didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he squeezed it so lightly that Yu would never have noticed if he hadn't been paying careful attention. His heart now back at ease, he sent a glare in Guren's direction, one that practically demanded an interpretation of Sayuri's speech.

Guren noticed Yu staring daggers at him and sighed. They had been together so long, they could read each other's thoughts from their gestures and expressions as easily as if they'd been spoken aloud.

"She said," began Guren thoughtfully in English, "the count and his companions are blood-drinking demons with magical abilities, including but not limited to superior physical abilities and mind control. They have many names, including 'vampire,' but no one knows where they come from. Since they are cold and don't age, some consider them to be undead. They've only ever appeared at night."

Since Guren appeared to be finished with his explanation, Yu raised an accusing eyebrow at him. " _And?_ " he prodded, knowing there was definitely more to it than that.

"Mi— _He_ is their pet, so they're going to be angry when they notice he's gone. It's safest for all of us to separate from him," stated Guren.

"That was definitely not all she said," replied Yu, glaring as he frowned deeply. The body language between the three fluent in German made this clear. Aside from that, even Yu knew the words _jagen_ (to hunt) and _Freund_ (friend) meant. And was Guren believing such a ridiculous fantasy, or was he just teasing Yu by making things up?

Oddly enough, Mika never corrected Guren or laughed at this "joke." A chill crawled down Yu's spine. This unscientific nonsense couldn't possibly be true, right?

Guren ignored Yu's scowl and turned back to Sayuri.

Yu stomached Guren's blatant lie for now and decided to confront him later. Although he figured Guren was lying for Yu's own good, he hated it when Guren did things like that.

"So why are you telling us all this?" asked Guren in German. "Based on what you've said, your life and family are at risk."

Sayuri took a long moment to gaze at Guren as if wondering whether to walk across a frozen lake in winter and risk drowning just to reach the other side. Her fingers toyed with her locket mindlessly.

"I once had a family of four," began Sayuri hesitantly, averting her eyes. Her appearance reminded Yu of when Mika told his backstory. "We had my two parents, who are now so aged by this wretched place, they can no longer run this hotel on their own. There was also me, the eldest daughter… They gave birth to me twenty-five years ago. After that, they had a few miscarriages. Then, sixteen years ago, they had a second daughter…"

Sayuri's voice trailed off as she gazed into the distance. Her lower lip quivered before she spoke again.

"Anyway, if they're on your trail, it's important to leave immediately," she said, blatantly redirecting the conversation. "I've told you what I must, so there is no more time to dawdle. How do you plan to escape? If you're not gone before nightfall, then you won't live to see dawn. There is a stable behind the hotel. We can take horses from there."

Guren coolly took out his silver pocket-watch. Unlike Yu's, this one had far more intricate engravings and was clearly of higher quality.

"It's already after eight pm," he stated calmly. "Even if we leave now, we won't reach the next town before dark. The wolves should already be active. If we leave now, will we survive long enough to reach the next town? Whether the wolves or the… devils kill us, we will be just as dead either way."

At this, Sayuri frowned. She crossed her arms, putting her thumb up to her lips. She began to nibble on her thumbnail as she thought.

"No. They will kill you without a doubt… No matter what talents you may be hiding, they can still overcome you with numbers," she murmured, her soft lips pursed with concern. "If you leave now, you will be caught before you reach safety… The villagers at the next town are likely to turn you in as well…"

"In that case, what would happen if we were to stay here for the night and leave as soon as the sun rises? As far as I know, you're the only one who has seen us, and you're free of their control. In that case, as long as you hide with us, they will not be able to locate us so easily. Are our odds of survival better if we hide through the night or if we flee from the wolves?" asked Guren logically.

"Erm… In that case, it may actually be… safer for you to… stay here for the night," replied Sayuri uncomfortably. She glanced at Guren, blushing slightly before she looked away. "Even so, I cannot… You must not… No one can know of your presence here, not even my father. You must speak in whispers. Soon, you must speak not at all, lest they hear you. You cannot do anything that gets you noticed, and you must stay in this room. I manage all the cleaning and laundry, so no one else should come here. I'm sorry it's so uncomfortable… The summer solstice is almost upon us, so you are fortunate that you have chosen now to flee and only have to survive for a short night."

Guren briefly used English to explain their plan to Yu—faithfully, this time. Once he did so, he turned back to Sayuri.

"We have a few minutes until sunset, so why don't you take the time to explain why you're helping us?" asked Guren, calmly returning to his previous series of questions.

Sayuri squeezed herself more tightly, hunching her shoulders as if to make herself appear smaller. Her eyes turned to the side, as if she were seeking a way to avoid this. Then, she turned to Mika, gazing at him solemnly for a long moment. Her expression grew hard. Finally, she sighed.

Yu and Guren watched these changes with rapt attention. Guren watched her to validate the veracity of the story she was about to tell while Yu watched to supplement his limited knowledge of German to understand what she was going to say. Mika, on the other hand, only seemed to grow smaller where he sat on the ground next to Yu's chair. He finally pulled his hand from Yu's, leaving Yu's hand sweaty and empty.

Yu pursed his lips briefly before rubbing his moist palm and fingers on his shirt and adjusting his position in the chair to a more comfortable one.

"I said before that I once had a little sister," began Sayuri, regaining her resolve as she stood in front of the door. The light from the lantern highlight the solemn curves of her face and the subtle curves of her sad mouth. "Her name was… Akane. She was just one year younger than Mi— _him_. She was nine years my junior. She would have been sixteen this year. I suppose it was only natural for her to want to play with children her own age. By the time she was a toddler, I was already helping out at the hotel, so I didn't have time to play with her as much as she would have liked. My little sister was so cute, she was always trying to imitate me. Even when she was younger, she always wanted to do her hair like mine, but this type of braiding technique was too complicated for her," she continued, half-heartedly gesturing to the braided headband that gave her appearance more distinction. "Instead, I taught her how to do a simple braid, and she started braiding her hair to the side. As she grew older, she would play with the other children in the village, especially the orphans who lived not far from here."

Guren brusquely translated Sayuri's statements into English for Yu, leaving out the more personal and worrisome comments. Yu watched her cautiously, concerned that this story would have the same dark edge as Mika's. Then, Sayuri continued speaking, taking care to make her voice soft.

"One day, some people dropped off a new boy here. He was covered in dirt and wounds and was as lively as a dead fish, but Akane never stopped talking about him after she returned home that day. When this boy showed up, she wanted help cleaning him up and bandaging his wounds. We lent him supplies for washing, and he was such a handsome lad once the dirt was wiped off that my sister's eyes nearly popped out of her head. From the moment she met him, she was enamored with him, and she only became more attached with each passing day. Over time, he recovered from his parents' unexpected deaths, or so we assumed, and he began to smile more and more. He quickly became popular among the children, and the adults were charmed by his polite and cooperative personality as well," continued Sayuri with a soft but sad smile. "Over the years, he and Akane became close friends who played together nearly every day. Since he was as intelligent as he was charming, my parents even began teaching him things about working at the hotel. They hoped that, one day, the two would marry. Both my parents and I felt comfortable about leaving Akane and the hotel in his hands once he grew up, but…"

Sayuri nibbled on her lips as disappointment filled her words. Mika's face remained hidden under the ragged cloth covering him, and his body remained unmoving as if he were a statue. Guren slowly summarized this in a sentence or two, leaving out the statements he considered unnecessary.

Yu responded to this dearth of information by giving Guren a deep frown.

"After Mika's twelfth birthday and before Saint George's Day, the count lured him and the orphans to his den," continued Sayuri, not noticing she let Mika's name slip. "Although we saw the count as a strange, magnanimous person who brought gifts to the village and ruled over us, we were ignorant of his true nature. Only one of the children ever returned…"

She gazed at Mika with a distant look in her eyes as if looking to the past.

"He escaped down the mountain a few months after he was taken up by the count. The villagers all thought it was peculiar that the children never returned to meet up with their friends, and Akane was desperately worried, gazing up at the mountain every day in a daze. Eventually, my parents convinced her that he had just moved onto the more exquisite lifestyle under the count and had forgotten the friends who supported him all this time. Once he finally returned one evening, dressed elegantly but covered in brambles and dirt, he gave us a nonsensical story about child-eating monsters and man-eating beasts. He had a fever, which we'd assumed addled his senses, so we dismissed his claims. Although he was in tears and clearly confused, Akane still insisted we take him in. And, so, we did. He was practically family to us, after all, regardless of whether he had gone mad or not."

Sayuri brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Although his tale was, frankly, _unbelievable_ , it was peculiar that no one heard anything of the children since they left, and Mika had always been an honest boy… The next morning, some of the men took the road to the castle to visit the count. When they returned the day after, they were pale but reported that everyone at the castle was fine, including the children. They were just too busy with their chores to visit us, they said. Each of them had an unfocused expression on his face as if walking through a daydream, but we didn't pay it much mind at the time and assumed they were just tired from the journey. They said Mika had woken up screaming from a nightmare and fled the castle before the servants could stop him, but the count would let him spend a week with his old friends before coming down the mountain to retrieve him. The men reported that Mika had been doing very well there and deserved a break."

Guren took the opportunity to summarize her tale, making Yu look at Sayuri oddly. Although her tale was downright farfetched and _had_ to be a nonsensical fairy tale, Mika had yet to correct her. Worse yet, he couldn't see any discrepancies between her story and Mika's. Was it possible that such an absurd story was true?

 _Of course, it isn't true_ , thought Yu to himself, forcing him to relax. The real "monsters" of the world were humans through and through. It wasn't unusual for such rural areas to be superstitious or to devote themselves to religion. Even humans could be frightfully strong and drink blood. They could also be active only at night, or maybe the villagers just never encountered them during the day. The "mind control" could even be something more akin to manipulation and brain-washing. All of these were things humans were capable of.

Even though Yu comforted himself with those thoughts, her story still made his skin crawl, and Mika's lack of reaction made Yu even more uncomfortable. Whether the count was human or not, it didn't change the fact that Yu needed to protect Mika from him, so he tried to avoid dwelling on the story's veracity too much—whether it was true or not made little difference to him.

"We kept Mika with us, planning to talk the count into letting him live with us instead of returning to the castle. Since Mika was sick, we kept him inside, and Akane was always with him. Over the next few days, several of the villagers became ill with anemia. Although this was a curious event, we didn't have any cause for alarm. No one was in dire health, and they felt much better with some rest. On the fourth night following Mika's arrival, the count came for him."

"I thought you said the count would retrieve him after a week," stated Guren, noticing the hole in her story.

"He did," said Sayuri, her throat feeling constricted. "He lied in order to lull us into a false sense of security… To make us think we had more time to arrange for Mika to stay with us. That night, he came for Mika, who was obviously terrified of him. No matter how we pled or argued, he insisted that Mika belonged to him and wouldn't give heed to us. He grabbed Mika, easily pulling him away no matter how hard he struggled. Akane was the first to lash out at the count."

Sayuri's voice grew very, very soft, as if naught but a whisper. Guren and Yu found themselves leaning closer.

"He drew his sword and beheaded her before we could beg him not to. All we saw was him stop moving, and then, suddenly, her head…" Sayuri finally lost her composure. Her eyes burned as she tried to hold back her tears. She sniffed deeply as she tried to hold back her sobs.

Guren quickly whispered her words to Yu and English, and they both stared at Sayuri's tragic figure. Mika, as before, was as still as a stone.

 _Human or not_ , thought Yu, feeling the air grow heavy, _that count is a monster._

After a few heart-breaking moments, Sayuri wiped her tears and regained her voice. "I tried to go after Akane, but my parents held me down until after the count left. I cried and shouted, but the villagers were too stunned to react to this unprecedented murder. The count had already taken Mika away before her body had even hit the ground. Naturally, the villagers could not let this atrocity stand."

Sayuri cleared her throat. "This heart-shaped pendent I'm wearing used to belong to Akane," she added, lightly tapping with the childish charm hanging from her necklace.

Guren didn't translate her words, and Yu didn't need words to understand what Sayuri meant.

"It was only later, when we sought aid from other villages, that we learned they had all been wiped out," she continued. It was as if a dam had been opened, and her words were flowing forward without stopping. "Some of the towns had apparently been empty for decades while we had still been in communication with the nearest one before the previous winter. We deduced that these devils had hunted the people of the villages one by one. Even with no one to support us, several villagers planned to attack the castle and confirm the condition of the children. They were armed with axes, shovels, and whatever tools they could find. Once they were gathered together, some of them suddenly turned on the others, turning the gathering into a bloody brawl of life and death. No one knew why they suddenly betrayed us. The survivors charged up the mountain, deciding to end this once and for all… The last we heard of them was the howling of wolves followed by their agonized screams. No one dared confirm their deaths."

Sayuri paused, brushing her hair out of her face as she let her words sink in.

"Although we only saw the devils at night, their fortress was impenetrable, even during the day," continued Sayuri.

"How do you know their fortress was impenetrable?" asked Guren, casually interrupting her.

"Ah, yes?" asked Sayuri, surprise shaking her out of her deep thoughts. "That is," she began slowly as she pondered. "Well, no one was able to reach the castle during the day…"

"Did you only try that once? Did you only use villagers? What about contacting the government for help?" probed Guren, prompting her for more details.

"I think some of the villagers tried periodically over the years… It was rare that anyone returned. When they did, they were often maimed or running for their lives. Some even died from their wounds after reaching safety. In the rare instance they actually reached the village, the beasts would let them return… We believed they probably did this to show us what happens when we try to oppose the count. I'm not sure if anyone ever reached the castle, but, if they did, they never came back to speak of it."

Guren gazed at her thoughtfully.

"We couldn't ask for help because of their wicked magic… Let me explain my first exposure to it," she said, inhaling deeply. "That night, I couldn't bear to sleep. I noticed the hotel door had been left open and walked over to shut it. When I reached outside to grab the door handle, Lacus, one of the count's servants, yanked me out and bit me on the neck. My head was suddenly filled with fog. He instructed me to obey they count's servants and forbade me from speaking of their true nature. If I didn't comply, he would make me kill my parents like the hunters the previous day who killed their comrades. I was not permitted to speak ill of the people living at the castle either… Once I recovered from my daze, I realized everyone in the village was in the same position. No one talked about uprising against the count again. A few people left but, for the most part, the count treated us well and never hunted a villager unless they came after him first. As long as we never betrayed him and obeyed his whims, we could survive here. He even continued bringing gifts from the city for us residents. Although the devils would continue to drain our blood periodically, it was not, um… Not unpleasant."

Guren raised an eyebrow at that statement but refrained from translating it for the time being.

Yu repositioned himself, crossing his heel over his knee as he waited impatiently for Guren to let him know what was going on, but he clearly wasn't in any hurry. Yu frowned.

"Once spring came, Mika escaped again, but no one dared help him. This time, a few people attacked him. Some threw rocks and others hit him with their fists. Although he was more of a victim than anyone, he was the one blamed and punished instead of the villagers who couldn't—or wouldn't—fight for themselves. Although we could not disobey or rebel against the servants of the castle, Mika was not counted amongst them. 'If it weren't for him, everyone would still be alive and happy now,' said the people who attacked him. Considering the state of our neighboring villages, this was utter nonsense."

" _Guren_ ," demanded Yu, annoyance prominent in his tone. "I don't want your abridged translations. Tell me what's going on already."

Guren rolled his eyes before briefly explaining what happened to the village after Akane died. He spoke of it in a relaxed tone as if everything that happened was a common event. Yu glared at him, becoming irritated that his boss didn't appear to be taking this tale seriously, even if it was unscientific.

"Instead of helping Mika escape," continued Sayuri, "they returned him to the count and were amply rewarded. This happened time and time again… Some people betrayed him out of fear and others out of greed."

Mika sat listlessly on the floor, not responding to her words.

"To me, it seemed like the count was teaching Mika just how untrustworthy humans were, and his expression became more hopeless every time he encountered us. Eventually, the count would take him on trips, and Mika wouldn't even look at us when he passed through the village… This is the first time I've seen him away from the count in over a year. I don't know how many escape attempts he's made without meeting anyone in this village, but… the people here betrayed him every single time."

Guren calmly translated. Yu's expression grew dark as he restrained his rage. He clenched his hands into fists, feeling his finger nails leave angry crescent moons in his palms. He forced down the urge to scream and shout with his complaints, knowing how vital it was to remain silent now.

Yu wanted to beat up every villager whoever did Mika wrong. Even more, he wanted to charge back up to the castle and beat that vile count so hard, one could only recognize him as a mass of pulpy flesh with silver hair.

Even so, Yu kept his mouth shut, trying his damnedest to wait patiently as his pulse throbbed with anger.

"Akane died trying to help him escape," said Sayuri. "That's why, I can't let him be taken again. Besides that, he is still under their control and can't even reveal their secrets to you. If they order him to, he _will_ stab you in the back, whether he wills it or not… Tomorrow morning, I will leave with him and get him as far away from this place as possible," she continued, regaining her resolve. "He is… He is someone I once considered to be family, so I will protect him. It's what my sister would have wanted. The two of you should go in a separate direction to improve your chances of escaping. There's no need for strangers like you to go so far to save someone whom you know so little."

Yu looked at Guren, anticipating his translation.

Before Guren could speak, the door was kicked in. It abruptly slammed into Sayuri's back, sending her flying forward as shards of wood and the broken door knob flew through the air. The lantern crashed to the ground, splattering the floor with broken glass and burning oil.

Yu immediately thrust his suitcases toward Guren and kicked his chair up at the intruder. He heard the chair splinter as he automatically fled to Guren's side, standing between him and their assailant, realizing a moment too late that he had left Mika on the other side of the room.

He heard Guren open their luggage the moment a squeak emitted from Sayuri.

Mika looked up to see Chess Belle stood behind Sayuri, her fingers already piercing knuckle-deep into Sayuri's throat. She formed a fist and pulled, holding Sayuri's head in place with her spare hand. Blood gushed out, spraying over the walls and shelves of linens, as the petite maid tore Sayuri's esophagus free of her neck. She did it with horrifying ease, as effortlessly as if she were ripping a mere piece of paper. Bubbles gurgled desperately out of Sayuri's torn neck as she collapsed to the floor, her beautiful hair dyed with red and Akane's locket impossible to identify amongst all the gore.

It was clear Sayuri would never be able to fulfill her sister's wish.

Chess released the flesh and cartilage from her hand, dropping it on the floor without paying it any heed.

"Mika, my dear, so here you are… You know better than to act like this, don't you?" asked Chess cheerfully in German, as if she weren't decorated in the blood of a pure-hearted maiden. Sayuri was the first villager to stand up for Mika and fight against the count after learning what he was capable of. And now, she would be the last. No one would ever be saved by her compassion again. Now, the Hanayori family had not only lost one child but both of them because of Mika.

He stared tearfully at the corpse on the floor. Even just by encountering her, Mika had caused her death. Ferid liked to refer to him as an "angel." Did this mean Mika was an angel of death?

Chess's dark hair fluttered around her heart-shaped face as she smiled, fangs pressing merrily into her lush lower lip. Her sanguineous eyes glittered ravenously, oblivious to the blood speckling her face. She pouted when she noticed Mika was looking at the dead human instead of her.

As she turned and stepped toward Mika, she intentionally crushed Sayuri's fingers and hair under her heels.

"You're fortunate that I was the one who found you instead of one of the others. I can vouch for you, so your punishment won't be as severe," she explained, her eyes glittering unnaturally.

Mika finally turned his attention up to the monster. Instead of feeling grateful for her so-called generosity, he looked up at her with horror and fear. He slowly moved into a kneeling position, trying to ignore the warm blood that sprayed onto his face and hair and was now spreading around his feet. The towel on his head had long fallen off, and so had his opportunity to save this sympathetic family. He was responsible for leading the monsters here—not once, no, not merely once, but _twice_ , and now the kindest people he knew were dead.

This was entirely due to his decisions, and there was no way he could ever make it up to them.

The oil from the broken lantern spread across the floor, igniting the storage closet with a rapidly growing sea of flames. The fire crackled with delight as it lit up the bloodsucking demon's beautiful face.

" _Come with me_ ," she cooed, her voice downright hypnotic as she reached out her blood-soaked hand. "You don't belong with people like this. They'll always betray you in the end anyway. Let's go home, Mika, to where we belong. I'll ask Count Bathory to stop smothering you with affection so much, so you won't be pushed to run away. I'll even spend more time with you, so you don't get lonely. Both the count and I care about you very much, Mika."

Mika's terrified expression grew slack with every word she spoke. He slowly began reaching for her hand as if he weren't in control of his own body.


	14. 16 June 1897, Night

16 June 1897, Night.

Sayuri's blood continued to spread over the floor in an ever-expanding pool of sticky crimson liquid. Her eyes remained open, gazing lifelessly into the flames that rapidly spread across the room.

Chess stood near the doorway, her hand offering Mika salvation as if she were a temptress from Hell.

He felt his muscles slacken against his will, despite his urge to keep away from her and make sure at least Yu and Guren could escape. Sayuri said the bloodsucker's mind control magic lasted for several months after one was bitten, but sad experience had taught Mika that three months was nearer to the mark. The weakest vampires could only keep a human enthralled for day after drinking his or her blood. Chess and Horn, by contrast, could maintain the spell for up to three months. This also held true for Crowley, which was curious, considering how he was older and more powerful than the women. Ferid bit Mika too frequently for him to determine the limits of his spell. Since it had only been a month or so since Chess drank from him, he was still susceptible to her commands.

Although Sayuri had been able to reveal critical details about the monsters, Mika wasn't able to correct her or elaborate. No matter how much he knew, he could explain nothing to those he wanted to protect.

As Mika fell under Chess's control once more, he resented Guren's hesitation. If they had gone down the mountain without rest and had stolen horses immediately, then they may have escaped by riding their mounts throughout the night. He resented how Yu always sided with that man like the trained little guard-puppy he was. He resented that he had let not only Akane but Sayuri die at his captor's hands, leaving him without a single remaining ally in this village. Most of all, he resented how easily he returned to the hands of these blood-sucking demons time and time again… and he resented how he was about to lose his two new comrades.

Mika's hand slowly reached toward Chess's, making her red lips curl into a pleased smile.

 _She is weaker than Ferid_ , he reminded himself, struggling to regain control. He frowned, and his hand trembled before it reached her.

Her smile fell.

"Mika, sweetie," she purred in German, "you know it's easier on everyone if you just come willingly."

 _As if enthralling me with your blood magic would make me want to come along willingly,_ thought Mika to himself.

"Mika, _come with me_. If you don't, we won't be able to ask for your new companions to be enslaved rather than killed. You can't have any friends, but Ferid isn't against letting you have a pet, you know?" she explained gently, coaxing Mika to come with her as she repeated her command.

Mika felt weak again, and the trembling stopped. His hand reached hers. Unlike Ferid's cold but clean hands, hers was warm and wet with Sayuri's blood.

Guilt overwhelmed him as he made contact, making him feel like he was drowning in the blood of his family no matter how hard he struggled. He knew this escape attempt would end as tragically as the one with Akane, and this realization weighed him down as though a thousand chains of despair had hooked around his ankles. No matter what he did, he belonged to these monsters and would never escape any farther from Ferid than he allowed. He was on an invisible leash and would remain Ferid's slave until the day he died. Even in death, would he be able to escape, or did that ungodly monster know of some way to keep his soul imprisoned like he had kept Mika's body shackled here all these years?

Suddenly, Chess's wrist split open as a _bang_ resounded across the room.

"What? _What was that?!_ " she hissed, stepping back as she angrily bared her fangs. She turned her head toward Yu and Guren, the two foreigners she had ignored up to this point. "You dare—"

Two more shots were fired, forcing her back as dark blood spilt from her shoulders.

Mika finally broke free from Chess's bewitchment, blinking hard as he pulled his blood-stained hand back. He turned to the left as another stunning _bang_ left the reeling _Vampir_ cursing.

Mika hadn't been able to look away from Chess until now, but apparently Yu and Guren had been busy. On the other side of the fire, he saw Guren firing an unfamiliar revolver while Yu aimed one of the _kammerlader_ rifles at Chess. Two of the suitcases laid open at Guren's feet. One revealed an assortment of guns while the other was loaded with various types of ammunition. Once he noticed this, Mika realized why Guren and Yu insisted on carrying such heavy luggage down the mountain, and, although he had no idea why they had such things with them in the first place, he no longer had any complaints.

With another _bang_ , Chess's left knee blew out, and she screamed as she dropped to the floor.

Mika glanced guiltily at Chess, who had been trying to be kind to him… in her own way. She probably hadn't been lying when she said she would try to get Yu and Guren's lives spared. Out of the monsters he met, he liked the playful Chess and the gentle Crowley the most—or, perhaps, it might be more accurate to say he disliked them the least. Even so, he did not wish to remain a prisoner.

Mika realized he was the one nearest to the only exit and glanced from the broken doorway to Guren and Yu.

"Go ahead, and we'll follow you out!" shouted Guren, aiming the revolver as Yu reloaded the rifle.

Without wasting anymore time, Mika grabbed his bag and rifle, leaping over Sayuri's corpse and Chess's twitching body as he fled to the hall.

Gunshots rang out behind him once he cleared the doorway and their line of fire.

He spotted the corpse of a familiar toad-shaped man, who was a great deal fatter and seemingly decades older than when Mika saw him last. His brown hair had long turned gray and gone limp. Mika recalled how the man's beard seemed to split open when he laughed.

It was Sayuri and Akane's father. He wouldn't laugh ever again.

Blood trickled down from a few bullet holes in his chest. It also dripped from his mouth and a pair of fang marks on his neck. Mika grimaced, understanding how Chess found their hiding spot.

What must've happened quickly took shape in his mind, forming a melancholy picture that was far too familiar for his liking. Chess had evidently bitten the hotel owner. Most likely, this was because he feigned ignorance upon being questioned. When Sayuri hadn't come by for dinner, he'd realized something was amiss and guessed the truth easily enough when Chess appeared while searching for Mika. Doubting his claims, Chess had bitten him to compel him to reveal the truth and, consequently, the location of his only remaining child. As punishment for his attempt at deception and rebellion, she forced him to watch his only remaining child bleed out her life on the cold, dirty floor.

Perhaps it was a saving grace and mercy that he happened to be standing behind the doorway when Yu and Guren opened fire on Chess.

With a silent farewell to the man who once treated him as his own son many years ago, Mika ran down the hall, hoping in vain to find some safety in a land where even the dead did not go unmolested. As the sound of several more shots rang out, Mika looked behind him, frowning sadly at the home where he, Akane, and Sayuri once played. The hall was already filled with smoke.

Suddenly, Guren ran out, trailing smoke as Yu raced out behind him. Yu had all their bags, and Guren and Yu each had one of the rifles. Yu didn't wait and continued running down the hall toward Mika.

"GET BACK HERE!" screamed Chess, crawling out of the storage closet after them. Her wrists and shoulders had clearly healed already. Even so, she left quite an impression with gore splattered all over her face and dress. Her lips curled back, revealing her fangs in all their inhuman glory. "YOU SNEAKY, UNGRATEFUL—"

Guren pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a metal egg with an arrow sticking out its end. Once he was halfway down the hall, he chucked it in the burning room and fled toward Yu and Mika like his life were on the line.

When an explosion thundered from the room and shook the hotel, Mika bolted instead of waiting for the other two.

He raced out the back door of the hotel and bounded to the stables. If the vampires were uncertain of his location before, they no longer had any doubts after hearing that explosion.

"Yu, help Mika get the horses ready!" shouted Guren from behind Mika, alerting him to their presence. As Guren inspected their surroundings for any sudden movements, he added, "I'll watch for vampires."

"I knew you didn't just do real estate," Mika called out over the sounds of crackling flames and the collapsing hotel, "but why do you have so many guns?!"

"Ah, well," began Yu sheepishly as they ran, "we also do work acquiring weapons from one country and selling them to people in another one. These are the samples we use for demonstration and also when, uh, transactions take a… sour turn."

Yu coughed briefly. His throat was probably scratching from being in that smoke-filled room for too long, but Mika had some questions that seriously needed answering.

"You mean, your real work is in _illegal arms dealing?!_ " he called out, racing into the stable.

Unsurprisingly, the horses were agitated by the explosion and smell of smoke. Mika shushed one, rubbing its neck and nose to get it calm down.

"It isn't illegal if the police are on your payroll!" answered Yu, entering after him.

"Do you even _do_ real estate?" asked Mika, looking around for the saddling equipment in the dark. He found a stack of pads.

Mika deftly wiped the horse's back with his hands since he didn't have time to brush and prepare the horse properly. He just hoped the horses didn't buck them off until they were far away from here. He placed one of the pads on its back.

"We do!" answered Yu, joining him. He found the saddles first and handed one to Mika, who quickly placed it on top of the pad and began fastening the straps. He was surprisingly skillful, given how dark the stable was. "Working in real estate is a great way to hide weapons on site and bring customers to the goods instead of carrying all this stuff around in public!"

Why did Mika get the feeling the Hiragi Real Estate Company was involved in more than illegal arms dealing and real estate..?

In light of the perilous journey ahead and the reality that he may be escaping with a group more dangerous than the monsters he was raised by, Mika was almost tempted to settle for the devil he knew and return to Ferid.

Almost.

Mika tightened the saddle straps, and Yu handed him a bridle. Praying that it was the appropriate size, he fastened it onto the horse and handed the reins to Yu. Unfortunately, the second horse had refused to calm down at Yu's urging, so Mika focused on coaxing it instead. After a moment, it calmed down, and Mika quickly prepared it the same way as the first. He handed those reins to Yu as well, who had already managed to fasten his and Guren's bags to the first one, before moving onto the third horse.

"We have company!" called Guren, firing several more rounds. Mika couldn't tell which gun he was firing but he assumed it was the revolver by the number of consecutive shots.

Mika heard Yu clamber on top of one of the horses and curse as it neighed and stepped back.

Instead of looking up, Mika focused on getting the third horse ready.

"Hahahaha!" came a painfully familiar laugh that sent chills racing down Mika's spine. "Guren Ichinose, is that how you treat your host? And you can't possibly expect to hit me with such poor aim, can you?" joked Count Ferid Bathory in English. As usual, he sounded amused.

A few more shots rang out.

"We need to go!" shouted Guren.

"The horses are ready!" answered Mika. He quickly released the other horses from their stalls and sent them running off. With any luck, the other horse trails would distract their pursuers if Yu and company somehow evaded capture tonight.

Instead of bumbling around in the dark of the stable like Yu, Mika waited until he led his steed outside before strapping his rifle and bag onto it. He mounted the horse gracefully and looked up at his companions. He didn't know if those monsters could be killed, but he didn't see or hear Chess after Guren threw that grenade at her.

Yu fired the _kammerlader_ before calling out to Guren. "Let's go!"

Ferid merely danced around the bullet, unbothered and unharmed.

Mika copied Yu to give Guren a chance to escape, but his effort was just as fruitless.

Guren turned toward Yu and the riderless horse and sprinted toward them. Unfortunately, Ferid sprinted faster.

Mika had time to see the wicked gleam on Ferid's lips before Ferid suddenly stepped forward and lifted Guren by the neck. The count's white gloves gleamed orange in the firelight. Guren's legs kicked helplessly above the ground.

"Is that any way to say your farewell after I've taken such good care of you over the past several weeks?" he cooed. "Mika, my dear, don't you think it's about time you quit playing around like this? It's dangerous to be out so late at night, you know? And Little Yu, should you really be abandoning your mentor like that?"

"Yu," cried Guren, "go! Leave me and go!"

"Don't you think you've done enough talking?" asked Ferid coyly. "It's my turn, or _didn't you notice?_ "

Ferid tightened his grip, making Guren gag as he tried and failed to break free. He helplessly kicked at Ferid's thighs, and Ferid laughed, sending chills down Mika's spine.

Instead of running, Yu expertly took his _kammerlader_ rifle and cocked the hammer, rotated the crank, placed the percussion cap on the nipple, and poured gunpowder into the breech.

Before Yu could load the bullet and wad, Ferid laughed again.

"Awww. You really care about him, don't you? What a shame. Bad little boys need to be punished, you know?" cooed the count.

With that, Ferid abruptly released Guren, letting him gasp one last desperate breath before he placed one hand on Guren's head and another under his chin. Then, Ferid twisted Guren's neck. A dull, sickening _crack_ rang out, and Guren didn't struggle anymore. His body became dreadfully lax in Ferid's hands, and even his mouth hung open uselessly.

Mika held his breath as he had the horrifying realization Guren, the man who had a stoic manner but always made time to listen to Yu and his outlandish whims, would never travel with Yu again.

Ferid playfully lifted Guren's limp body by his hair.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Ferid sarcastically. "This one broke already. He was an awfully bad boy, wasn't he, luring my Mika outside so late at night?"

"Guren!" called Yu, trembling with the bullet in his hand. "Guren!"

Guren didn't answer. His chest didn't move either. He wasn't breathing.

Yu's panic snapped Mika back to attention and the urgency of the situation.

"Yu, we have to go!" he shouted, knowing their opportunity to flee was limited.

"Shit!" cursed Yu, enraged as he finally remembered what he was doing. He stuffed the bullet with the paper into the chamber before deftly rotating the crank forward, locking the breech once more as he aimed the rifle at Ferid.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Ferid. "You don't know a lost cause when you see it, do you? So much _passion!_ It must be the glory of youth! It makes me envious, really."

Yu's hands shook slightly as he fired the rifle. Even so, Ferid easily discerned the bullet's trajectory with his eyes. He grinned a cruel, spine-tingling grin as he calmly threw Guren's body into the bullet's path.

The bullet punctured Guren's chest with an appalling _thump_ , sending his body flopping to the ground as blood leaked out from his chest with no signs of stopping. His neck rested at an unnatural angle. He did not move. He did not breathe. He did not resist.

Horrified, Yu stared at Guren's corpse. "G-Guren…?" he asked softly, his lips quivering. His voice was too weak to even be a prayer. Yu's green eyes were wide, beginning to glisten, as his face grew paler and paler.

Guren didn't get back up.

"Guren?" he pleaded, almost crying by this point. His voice was growing hoarse.

Despite Yu's pleas, Guren remained sprawled upon the ground. Ferid stood behind Guren, smiling viciously as Yu's liveliness and hope melted into despair right in front of his eyes.

"Yu, we have to go," begged Mika, knowing Ferid was only feeding off their agony.

Yu remained frozen. Tears dripped down his face. "Guren?"

"It's too late for him," said Mika, desperately pulling on Yu's arm to garner his attention.

Yu remained frozen atop his horse as if Mika were a hundred miles away instead of sitting on the horse right next to him.

"Yu!" shouted Mika in his ear.

Yu remained as responsive as before, as dead to the world as Guren's corpse.

Mika grimaced and looked at the dead body, the burning hotel, and the vile count, the king of Mika's nightmares, Ferid Bathory. Ferid's face was flushed with pleasure.

Mika clenched his teeth and dropped the reins for Guren's riderless horse. Instead, he snatched the reins for Yu's horse from Yu's hand. Yu didn't react. Mika kicked his horse into moving as he urged it to sprint and tugged Yu's horse along next to him. Soon, Yu's horse was running next to his, making them depart that scene of carnage. That finally woke Yu from his stupor.

"Mika, what…? No! We can't go!" cried Yu. "Guren is—"

"Guren is already dead!" yelled Mika right back at him. "He was your mentor, wasn't he? Don't you remember his last words? 'Leave me and go,' he said! Not only will you be disobeying him if you stay behind, but you'll both be dead! We _have_ to go! Now! I didn't know him that well, but he seemed like he cared about you enough to want you to see the sunrise tomorrow morning! Do you want his death to be in vain?"

Yu breathed heavily and quit arguing.

"I got it," he whimpered. "I got it, so give me my reins back… I'm definitely going to get his body back one day, though," he added, the sorrow in his voice rapidly being replaced by rage. "One day, when I bring together a big army with some even bigger guns…"

The sounds of Yu's sniffing made Mika's heart ache.

Mika returned Yu's reins, and the teenagers urged their horses to sprint down the road. The flames of the hotel faded behind them along with the cruel echoes of Ferid's laughter as they ran away, running away from the count, their pasts, and fallen allies.

"You _belong_ to me, Mika, dear. Or have you forgotten already?" cooed Ferid as the boys escaped. He turned toward Guren's corpse.

The howls of wolves rang throughout the woods.


	15. 17 June 1897

17 June 1897.

In the darkness of the night, the pair of teenagers kept to the main roads, wary of the wolves howling and chasing after them. While the main roads were the most exposed and obvious escape path, they also offered the quickest route. Mika prioritized speed over taking an inconspicuous path; Yu, on the other hand, didn't seem to react no matter what Mika did. The wolves' menacing figures flickered through the breaks in the trees.

Fortunately, the main roads were largely clear of debris and other obstacles, allowing the horses to run with their lives on the line. Both the humans and the horses knew any accident would cut their escape short along with, quite possibly, their lives.

They ran, and they ran, and they ran.

Eventually, the howling died down. Whether the wolves had trailed them too far from home or if they were regrouping with a different strategy, the boys could not say.

After an hour or so, they took a short break to properly secure their hastily-strapped saddles and bridles. Even if they had escaped this far without preparing their horses properly, who knew how long that would last? After all, if a saddle came loose beneath its rider and that rider consequently broken his neck after crashing onto the hard turf, he would be just as dead as Sayuri.

Yu remained silent the entire ride. It was unclear if he had no words to say or if he had no will to say them. He remained downtrodden, staring at the road ahead of him as if he were a blind man who couldn't see no matter how much he looked and only continued to try out of habit. The tears he shed out of shock and rage had long-since dried up, leaving his eyes red and his mouth firm with anger.

"So, Yu," asked Mika gingerly as he attempted to stir some life from his friend, "what kinds of weapons were those?"

"The gun is a Colt New Police Revolver," began Yu with no expression on his face as if quoting from memory, "which only began being manufactured last year by the Yanks. It's a nice, six-shot revolver that's easy to handle, and it's actually a standard-issue revolver for police in New York. It can be fired double-action or single-action, but you better give up on hitting your target if you fire it double-action… Unless your target is really close, that is. The grenade was a one-pound Ketchum Hand Grenade. They were originally used in the American Civil War. They have to land _precisely_ on their noses to detonate, so the southerners learned to catch them in blankets and shuck them back at their assailants… Guren says they don't have a lot of practical use, but he'll use them to blow the room in a deal gone bad… I think he just likes the… He _liked_ the… the explosion…"

Yu lapsed back into his earlier grimly quiet demeanor as he silently fixed the straps. He turned toward the direction they had come from with a look full of both yearning and regret, as if he were contemplating returning. The thought made Mika's heart thrum with fear.

A wolf howled from nearby, and Mika quickly mounted his horse again. The horse reared up restlessly, clearly anxious to flee. Yu remained on the ground.

"Yu, we have to go," pleaded Mika urgently as a second howl joined the first.

Yu grunted before lifelessly getting back on his horse. They continued riding farther and farther away. Mika looked back at Yu with sympathy, but Yu never appeared to notice; he only mindlessly let his horse follow Mika's. Even though the bloodsucking demons never drank Yu's blood, Yu was acting like a puppet. He looked pale and tired, even though he had no visible wounds. Like a puppet, he only walked and moved as instructed with no opinions of his own. He had neither the willpower to resist Mika's commands, nor the desire to do anything on his own.

Mika sighed, disappointed in himself. Not only had he let the few remaining people he considered to be family die, but Guren Ichinose, the man whom Yu praised as the person who raised him, was dead. Even Chess, who was a powerful blood-sucking monster, might have died… She may have been a wicked creature who made Mika anemic more than once, but he still felt guilty. Out of the monsters he saw frequently, Crowley and Horn kept Mika at a practiced distance, careful to avoid infringing on what they considered to be Ferid's property. Considering how possessive Ferid could be, they acted with wisdom.

Chess was different. She took the initiative to chat or spend time with Mika time and time again, although this often resulted in Ferid giving her a light punishment. Mika didn't love her. He honestly couldn't even consider her a friend. How could he become attached to one of those creatures who kept him imprisoned, after all? But, even so, he wasn't sure she deserved to die… Then again, she ripped Sayuri's throat out in a show of savagery tonight, didn't she? There was no doubt she deserved to die as punishment for such a violent act, was there?

Mika grimaced, confused as he tried to shake the guilt away. Chess killed Sayuri and tried to bring him back to the count, so why was he concerned about her?

And, of course, there was Sayuri Hanayori, the girl who died while attempting to fulfill her sister's wish…

Yu and Mika rode throughout the night, only stopping for the rare chance to relieve their bladders. At one town, they traded in their horses for a fresh pair… Or, rather, since it was still before dawn, they exchanged their horses for a pair they found without asking for anyone's permission. It was stealing, but the boys were too concerned about survival to care. Well, Mika was; Yu's expression was too flat to read, so Mika was having a hard time judging what he was thinking or if he felt any guilt from their actions.

They continued riding through the night and even continued after the sun came up. Mika's head kept drooping as he struggled to stay awake, but fortunately, the horses appeared familiar with the path they chose.

"You're tired," stated Yu, speaking up for the first time in several hours. His eyes looked just as lifeless as before. He himself looked quite haggard with gray bags beneath his eyes and the irritated red vessels covering his eyes from lack of sleep.

Mika yawned, fighting to make himself feel alert. "We could take a rest in the woods for a while. We don't have any blankets to lie on, but… it should be fine as long as we aren't seen," he mumbled.

Yu nodded and took the lead. He checked his bearings and led Mika off the road. After continuing for several minutes, they found a grove with grass that didn't look horribly uncomfortable to lie on. The trees offered some concealment, especially from the main road, and the branches were sturdy enough to hitch their horses to them. They removed the gear from the horses and tied them to a nearby tree to graze. Mika pulled a pair of apples from his bag and handed one to each. The horses perked up, swinging their tails back and forth as they enjoyed their snack.

Considering that Sayuri had reported the monsters only came out at night, they weren't too terribly concerned about being found by them. That said, their human puppets were another matter.

"I'll keep watch," said Yu, sitting down quietly with his rifle at the ready.

"Mm," grunted Mika, too tired to argue as he pulled a jacket from his carpetbag and straightened it out it on the ground. With Yu acting as a lookout, the dispassionate human subordinates were far less of a concern, and Mika was too exhausted to worry about anything at the moment. He lied down and, before long, fell into a deep, desperate sleep.

It felt like only minutes later when Yu nudged him awake.

"Come on," said Yu, his expression tired. "We need to move."

He walked away, getting his horse ready as Mika forcefully blinked himself into wakefulness. It was late in the afternoon, so Mika had probably slept several hours, regardless of how tired he felt. They needed to continue traveling if they wanted to reach the next town by nightfall.

After eating a quick meal of dried bread and relieving themselves, they continued riding.

"What are we going to do from here?" asked Yu listlessly.

"We can continue riding through the night, but we're out of food and don't have any camping equipment. The woods are dangerous at night. If we stay at an inn, we may be noticed like before, but Ferid's influence is weaker the farther we get from the castle."

"Mn," grunted Yu noncommittally.

The pair continued riding past a couple of small towns before finally reaching a larger one. They traveled south and reached somewhere on the outskirts of the town, before finally finding a place open in the middle of the night. If they didn't spot a hotel open this late, then they planned on breaking into a barn and resting there. That said, why would they want to sneak around to sleep in a barn for a few hours when they could get their fill of sleep in a bed? Even if they had run out of food, they were not short on money.

Noticing that the lanterns were still lit in the entrance, Yu entered and paid for a room for two nights while Mika managed the stolen horses.

Mika headed toward the inn, but Yu's expression suddenly showed surprise once Mika reached the lantern light. Yu suddenly grabbed Mika by his sleeve to stop him.

"Mika, you're, uh, still covered in blood," muttered Yu distractedly as if he had forgotten everything that happened the night before aside from Guren's death. Given the shock he received, not only when he found out the fantastical tales of blood-sucking demons were true but when his mentor perished at their hands, Mika supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

Mika glanced down at his filthy, blood-caked clothing and scowled. He quickly stripped off his clothes in an alley beside the inn before stuffing them in his bag and putting on a set of clean, albeit wrinkled, set of clothes from in his bag. If he got a chance, he would dispose of the blood-covered ones before they reached the next town. Emptying what little water was left in his and Yu's canteens, Mika managed to scrub off most of the dried blood on his hands and look somewhat more presentable. Even so, he hoped the lighting would be dim enough to keep the stains hidden. If it was noticed, then he could say that they had an accident while out hunting. Considering that he and Yu were still covered in dirt, leaves, and grime, they clearly looking like they had spent the past few days traipsing around in the wilderness, which might make their tale more believable.

When they entered the inn this time, Yu positioned one of his suitcases on his shoulder to prevent the staff at the front desk from having a clear view of Mika.

They entered a room with twin beds, and Mika kicked off his shoes and fell on the bed. He was asleep before he even pulled the covers over himself.

Yu made sure their guns were loaded and within reach before stripping off his shoes and socks before crawling into bed himself.

He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, not since Guren got… hurt. He knew his brain wouldn't function properly unless he could get some rest, but, no matter how much he knew he needed to sleep, he couldn't make his brain shut down. He kept replaying the scene of Guren's neck snapping and of him readying his rifle and firing at Ferid, only for his bullet to shoot through Guren's chest. Even then, Guren never shuddered from the pain. Did he die when Ferid twisted his neck, or did he die when Yu shot him?

If Yu hadn't insisted on them running away with Mika, then none of this would have happened.

None of this.

He regretted it. He regretted trying to escape so brazenly. He regretted being caught by the vampires. He regretted not contacting their cohorts for assistance or intentionally hunting down the count while they were at the castle. As for his thoughts about Mika…

Even though he finally got to sleep in the same room as Mika, he wasn't even remotely happy. Before they tried to escape, he thought he would never regret helping Mika. But now, he didn't know how he felt about him. All he knew was that he was very, very tired, more tired than he had ever been in his life.

It wasn't until ages later that Yu finally fell into a restless sleep.

Yu woke up late the next morning, but Mika was still exhausted and was difficult to rouse. After confirming that Mika was still breathing, Yu double-checked the window and used the restroom. Then, he yawned and lied back down, returning to an uneasy slumber.

They got up late that afternoon, malodorous, filthy, and sore. Although they would have liked to soak their aching muscles in hot water, the inn's water was cool at best and freezing at worst, prompting them to shower as quickly as they could. Mika took care to scrub away the drops of blood, which had clotted in his hair or hidden in any crevices he didn't notice last night. He spent several long minutes scrubbing the dried blood from his fingernails.

"Which town are we in?" asked Yu wearily, looking just as tired and drained as he had the night before.

"I'm not sure," answered Mika, thinking carefully. "Judging by how much we traveled, probably Bistritz, or a town on its outskirts. We could get a carriage to Klausenburg, the same way you came in. However, it's an all-day ride, and the carriages probably already left this morning. Bistritz is a larger city, so Ferid would have more trouble finding us, but I think we need to leave as soon as we can…"

Mika looked at Yu, who stared off into space as if he weren't listening.

Mika guiltily glanced to the ground.

"And we need to eat. If I go out, I might be recognized… It would be good if you could also buy some cheap clothes, so we could change our appearances. A hat for each of us wouldn't be bad either… Unlike at the castle, the sun actually comes out here… Yu?" asked Mika, uncertain if Yu were paying attention.

"Clothes, hats, food," muttered Yu dispassionately as he put on his dirty shoes. "Got it."

He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mika looked at the door sadly and sighed.

Yu found the clothes first and carelessly picked matching outfits for him and Mika. It wasn't because he wanted them to dress alike but because they were close to the same size, and he didn't care to think about it too hard. He then found food and paid for whatever he could pack easily, including bread and fruit. Given how much money Guren had left with them, Yu didn't bother trying to haggle.

When Yu was examining an apple, someone suddenly started laughing behind him, and Yu startled, jerking as he crushed the apple. Its sticky juice dripped over his fingers and onto his shoes. Everything grew silent.

" _Awww. You really care about him, don't you? What a shame. Bad little boys need to be punished, you know?"_ cooed the count's voice in Yu's head.

Yu looked around him as a cold sweat coated his back. He saw a young a man and woman joking and flirting together. Their laughter was full of happiness and more than a little lust, not the vile sadism Yu had been exposed to two nights ago. Yu was breathing rapidly. When he realized how ragged his breathing had gotten, he forced himself to breathe more calmly. One or two people in the crowd gave him an odd look before continuing on their way.

Although the words were an exact copy of what the count said before, he wasn't really here. No matter how hard he looked, Yu couldn't see him. Besides, it was still daylight after all, Yu reasoned. He frowned, cursing the overwhelming memory into silence and waiting to return to reality.

When the blood stopped pounding in Yu's ears and he began to hear sounds normally again, he noticed the fruit stand owner yelling at him in Romanian, probably saying something about how Yu needed to pay for the apple since he crushed it. Yu limply nodded and bought several more fruit, leaving the owner satisfied.

Instead of returning to the inn straight away, he meandered down different streets and took more time than he should have. When Yu finally opened the door to their room, he saw Mika pacing apprehensively. If Mika had been standing on a grassy yard, Yu was sure Mika would have worn out a dirt path in it by now. Even so, Yu didn't feel guilty. He didn't feel much of anything really.

"Did everything go alright? Did you have any trouble?" asked Mika, a worried expression on his face. His soft, pale lips were pursed with concern.

Once upon a time, Yu would have been delighted to see Mika look at him that way.

This wasn't once upon a time.

"I want to go back," stated Yu, disregarding Mika's questions. He placed the bag of clothes and the bags of food on his bed. The room was as austere and unvarnished as was reasonable. There was only a pair of beds with pillows and blankets with one nightstand between the two beds. Aside from a pair of curtains at the window, there was nothing else to decorate the room. Yu hadn't realized how sparse the room was when he left this morning.

Yu looked at Mika, who had a fearful expression but who was too hesitant to say anything.

"I have to get Guren's body back," said Yu stiffly. "I can't leave it with… with _them_."

"Yu," started Mika softly, both sad and afraid for his friend, "you can't… I mean, how do you… How are you going to get it back from them?"

"I don't know," admitted Yu, "but I'm going to get it back. I can't believe that Guren is… not here anymore. I always thought the only one who was… who was capable of killing Guren was Guren himself. I can't believe he's… he's de—not here anymore until I see the body for myself," he continued, stumbling as his voice cracked and betrayed his stoic demeanor.

"Yu, we both saw—"

"I don't care!" snapped Yu, his anger suddenly returning in a blazing fury as he lashed out at Mika.

Mika jerked back.

"It was my job!" he shouted, stepping toward Mika as he pointed a thumb to himself. " _My job_ to protect Guren! It's my responsibility! I was acting as his bodyguard for this assignment, so, if anyone should be dead, it should be me! Not _him!_ If nothing else, I have to… I have to," continued Yu, sniffing as tears began pooling at rims of his eyes, "I have to… at least bring his body back, so we can… we can have a proper funeral…"

Yu sniffed repeatedly as he tried to keep tears from dripping down his face.

Mika reached a hand out toward Yu to try and comfort him, but he pulled it back without making any contact. This was all his fault, after all. What right did he have to touch Yu? Yu had every right to hate him.

"Yu," asked Mika slowly, softly, as if worried his voice might send Yu crumbling down like a broken piece of glass, "what were you to Guren?"

"I'm his employee," he stated, his voice raspy as he stopped sniffing so heavily. "For this assignment, I was supposed to work as his bodyguard."

"You're just his employee?" asked Mika carefully. "Are you sure about that...? When we went to get the horses, he ordered you to go into the stable with me and decided to keep watch himself. No matter how you look at it, the person keeping watch would logically be in the most danger, given what we knew. If he would rather you die in his place, then why did he give you the safer task?"

Yu frowned as tears dripped down his face. He appeared deep in thought, but he didn't answer.

"To me," continued Mika cautiously, "it sounds like Guren volunteered for the more hazardous task because _he_ wanted to protect _you_. It seemed like he valued _you_ more than he valued himself…"

Yu began sobbing as he crumpled down onto his bed, his stern façade completely shattering. As he cried, he leaned over onto his knees, bowing his head down as he tried to hold his grief in. He failed.

Mika stood uncomfortably as he tried to figure out what to do. The monsters never cried in front of him, and all the humans he met in the past five years had only regarded him with contempt. When the humans cried in front of him, it was full of loathing. If he dared to even approach them, they would try to kill him. It had been over five years since he had a normal human relationship. Of course, he had many episodes where he cried after his family was murdered, but that only led to Ferid comforting him and, occasionally, Chess. Generally, the idea of Ferid "comforting" him was enough to make Mika stop crying right away. Whether it was Ferid's attention, his affection, or his euphoria-inducing bites, Mika never wanted it.

After a long moment, Mika sat next to Yu on the bed. It had been a long time, but he remembered helping Akane calm down the orphaned children when they were grieving like this. Mika, suddenly aware that he was more than a bit out of practice, clumsily raised his hand to Yu's back and began rubbing it.

Several minutes passed by as late afternoon became early evening. Mika gazed out the open window, enjoying the breeze that provided relief from the stagnant summer heat as he waited patiently for Yu to recover. His stomach was aching, craving the food he knew was in the bags behind them. Even so, he tolerantly remained seated and continued rubbing Yu's back.

Eventually, Yu regained his composure and sat up straight, rubbing tears and snot from his face.

"I'm hungry," said Yu, his voice painfully scratchy.

Mika nodded and pulled the bag full of bread to him and placed it on the floor. He pulled out a long loaf of bread at least a foot long and tore it in half. He gave the larger half to Yu, who greedily began devouring it. Mika followed suit, and the room was only full of sounds of their eating.

"Guren taught me… everything," began Yu, startling Mika. "I was always strong. The other kids called me a 'demon.' But Guren was the one who taught me how to fight properly," he continued, reaching into the bag for another loaf. "He taught me how to use body position and joints to my advantage. He taught me how to do throws and how to use weapons effectively. He taught me human vital points. He even instructed his staff to teach me how to read… He gave me food, shelter, a roof over my head… and a job. He gave me a reason for living, and… he told me that, if I was a demon, then he would work me like one. Even though this was an assignment for work, we treated it more like a vacation. He let me explore cities, although we weren't there very long. If Guren never picked me up, forget traveling this far, I would never have left England. I'd still be living on the streets, probably working as part of a gang or in prison. Maybe I'd even be dead."

"It sounds like he treated you more like a son than an employee," responded Mika after a moment.

"Yeah… He… He really did," answered Yu, taking a large mouthful of bread.

They sat in silence as Mika took the bag of fruit from behind them and placed it on the floor next to the bread. He reached down and pulled out a red apple.

"Tomorrow morning," said Yu, "I'm going back to get Guren's body."

"How?" asked Mika. He gazed at the apple in his hand as he turned it around thoughtfully.

"I don't know," said Yu.

"Before, you said you were going to return with a large army and even large guns."

"We have some groups stationed throughout Europe, but… not enough to call it an army. I would have to go to England for that, but the upper brass would never allow such a large expenditure of manpower and resources just to retrieve a body. It's not like Guren didn't know what risks he was taking."

"Mn," agreed Mika noncommittally.

Yu turned toward Mika to see what his opinion would be. Mika stared at the apple, but he wasn't really looking at it. Undoubtedly, Mika would tell him his goal was hopeless.

"It might be possible to get Guren's body back," said Mika slowly as he turned the apple in his hands, shocking Yu.

"Really?!" asked Yu, beginning to feel hopeful for the first time since they left the Golden Crone Hotel.

"Yes," answered Mika, surprisingly unenthusiastic despite his claim. "You could… make a deal. If you make a trade, then Ferid might go along with it. He enjoys watching human folly and making them fall to temptation. He considers it to be the best type of… entertainment."

"Oh?" prompted Yu when Mika grew silent.

"You could exchange me for Guren. I could always escape again, and it's not like Ferid's killed me yet," stated Mika seriously, emotion absent from his voice and his face. "He always paid the villagers when they captured me, so he'd probably be willing to—"

" _No!"_ stated Yu loudly as he launched toward Mika and grabbed his wrist tightly.

Mika winced as his hand grew numb, and the apple fell to the floor. Yu's blazing green eyes stared into Mika's face, leaning so close that Mika wanted to back away, but Yu's hold prevented him from doing so.

"You can't," demanded Yu. The ferocity in his eyes made Mika freeze. "I'm going to save you _and_ get Guren back."

"Yu, you… can't," replied Mika solemnly. "That's the only way you could—"

"I don't care!" said Yu. He was so close that Mika could feel Yu's hot breath on his face. His grip tightened further, making Mika cringe. He quickly came to the conclusion that Yu's boasts about frequently getting into trouble due to his excessive strength, and being careless with that power, were true. "I decided to protect you. Guren tried to protect you, too. I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting after we got this far. I'm taking you with me back to England, and that's final."

"Yu, you're… hurting me."

"Oh!" said Yu, a surprised expression flashing across his face as he quickly let go and leaned back.

Mika's rubbed his swollen, red wrist sheepishly.

"Sorry," muttered Yu awkwardly. "I didn't mean to… I mean, what you said just… scared me. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Even if you say that, you can't have it both ways," said Mika, looking away.

"In that case," said Yu, regaining his resolve, "then I'll get you out of here first and ask for help later. Even if the higher-ups don't prepare an army, they would still want Guren's body. They might also be interested in these… vampires. That might work as bait for them..."

"Those humans are powerful enough to confront them?" asked Mika skeptically.

"Yep!" said Yu. "Probably. The Hiragi organization has a lot of, uh, _employees_ who are good at, uh, things like this."

"Hm… In that case, do you want to leave tonight or wait and ride the carriage to Klausenburgh tomorrow?"

"Tonight," answered Yu immediately, wincing as his thighs throbbed in indignation. Hopefully, the horse-riding part of this escape could end soon, so they could return to using hotels and carriages. That's right—Yu was so sore from horse-riding that he actually _missed_ the bumpy carriage rides that caused his hind end to ache so badly. He was impressed by Mika's lack of complaints, so he figured he had to tough out the discomfort, too.

"Let's pack up, then," agreed Mika easily. Given how he acted since their escape began, Yu wasn't surprised that Mika wanted to continue onward with as little rest as possible.

The pair quickly organized their scant luggage and headed for the door. At the door, Mika turned around and put his hand on Yu's shoulder.

Yu waited, confused as Mika looked at Yu's feet. "…Thank you," said Mika, a faint blush warming up his cheeks before he rapidly turned around and walked as fast as he could down the hall.

Yu blinked, wondering what Mika was thanking him for. Then, he remembered when Mika offered to trade himself for Guren. He remembered Sayuri telling him how, time after time, the villagers betrayed Mika and returned him to the count. No matter what, whoever helped Mika died or turned against him.

Yu smiled to himself, grateful that Mika had faith in him. This was the first time he showed a pleasant expression since the previous night.

Yu locked the door behind him and followed his companion, willfully choosing to face the hell before them.

NOTES: In Dracula, the Golden Krone Hotel was actually in Bistritz, but I wanted it to be more local to the castle for this story. After Dracula was published, someone actually named a hotel there the Golden Krone Hotel (according to Wikipedia). I hope it's much more presentable than the one I describe here.


	16. 19 June 1897

19 June 1897.

After much travel via horseback, Yu and Mika finally reached Klausenburgh and fell into a deep slumber. Surprisingly, the vampires had yet to bother them after Guren died. As far as the two teenagers knew, they had completely managed to throw off their pursuers.

They were wrong.

As soon as night fell, a bloodhound sniffed around the inn where the pair had taken shelter the previous evening. Before long, she caught the scent of a pair of horses, and her tail began to thrash excitedly. She followed the trail, the feral delight burning in her blood as she reached the edge of the town and noticed the direction her prey had traveled in. After determining the direction, the hound ran into the woods. The sounds of the bloodhound crashing through the undergrowth abruptly ceased and were replaced by a high-pitched screech and the flapping of tiny wings.

From that location, a vampire bat emerged and escaped into the night sky.

If not for the red eyes and sharp canine teeth either creature shared, even someone with a discerning eye might not notice the two were actually one in the same.

She stretched her wings and easily flew faster than any bird. Of course, she also flew faster than any _living_ bat. Ever since a conceited vampire had turned her into a member of his so-called "harem," she had always been stronger than any living counterpart of whatever form she chose. Naturally, someone of her caliber could choose from quite a few. Fortunately, she was only with that harem-oriented bastard for a few decades before he got in a feud with Crowley, who skillfully turned him into a pile of ash. She and the newly-turned Chess used their freedom to travel through Europe until they encountered Crowley again and settled down with him. It was then they met Crowley's companion, Count Bathory, a vampire even more ancient than Crowley himself.

Vampires acquired the ability to shape-shift at around a century old, depending on their lineage and natural talent. This vampire, along with the other undead residents living within Bathory Castle, were all capable of changing their forms at will. As someone who had been reborn as a vampire well-over a century ago, she had no difficulty shape-shifting, whether to forms twice her size or to ones as small as a rat.

Once the bat reached Klausenburg, she swooped to the ground, changing her shape once more as she descended. She grew larger. Her wings retracted and bones shifted, twisting into forelegs and paws, contorting gruesomely as her anatomy shifted from a bat back to a dog. Her nose protruded as she became a bloodhound with drooping ears and loose, flappy skin. She shook herself, quickly adjusting to her new form.

Confirming the scent of her quarry in the air, she quickly returned to tracking her prey.

When she reached yet another hotel for travelers, she continued trotting into an alley before shifting back into a bat. She flew upward before dangling from the roof and rotating her ears. She waited for several minutes, patiently listening for Yu or Mika's voice. She frowned when she didn't detect either one and glided in through an open window.

Fortunately, no threshold barred her way, and she hoped the two boys would continue to use hotels and inns instead of breaking into someone's private residence. She could enter public buildings as she pleased, but personal homes required more effort.

She crawled inside and shifted once again, letting her wings change into forelegs. A long nose with whiskers sprouted from her face. The rat, which was formerly a bat, twitched its nose and then frowned at the unpleasant odor of sex, alcohol, and human debauchery. A man and a pair of women lay drunk and naked in a bed.

As shocking as it would be to catch Mika having an intimate relationship with a human, this man was about two hundred pounds heavier than him and stank of odors best left undescribed.

Wasting no more time here, she crawled under the crack of the door in the cheap hotel before sticking her nose into the air and inhaling another whiff. Before long, she detected the familiar odor of sweaty teenage boys, dirt, and horses. She silently and swiftly moved down the hall. The few people walking around would only feel like they saw a shadow move out of the corners of their eyes, and they disregarded her. Eventually, she found a room with a much stronger trace of Mika and his human companion.

She quickly crawled under the door and listened attentively to the boy's heartbeats and breathing. They were both alive and not in distress.

She was relieved that Mika was doing well, but she was peeved by Yu, who would only make things more complicated.

Although Ferid spoiled Mika, a human, to a preposterous degree, he still refused completely to turn Mika into a vampire unless Mika agreed to it; this had caused Ferid's fellow vampires an insufferable headache. Mika, quite sensibly, refused every time. When confronted about his bizarre behavior, Ferid said he wanted Mika to submit to him, body and soul. Even so, Ferid was reasonable enough to keep certain secrets from him and instructed his servants to do the same. This included the reality that vampires were originally humans, the fact that they had the ability to change forms, and the detail about them being unable to directly cross the threshold of a personal home with a living owner without an invitation. Of course, luring a person outside and forcing them to "invite" a vampire was not difficult at all, especially after the vampire drank the human's blood. This was the same method used to lure Sayuri out many years ago and gain access to her home. If the human refused to exit, it usually wasn't difficult to set the home on fire or to control other humans and make _them_ enter instead.

Otherwise, how could Ferid, who liked to build up Mika's hopes of escape before utterly crushing those dreams and pummeling the boy into despair, keep him from escaping at long last? Besides, if he knew that he himself could be turned into a vampire and this nightmare of his might not end even with death, he was probably cunning enough to commit suicide in such a way that made his revival impossible.

Noting the number of the room the boys were in, the vampire left them alone as she went hunting for a meal. The most convenient way for her dine was to choose a lone human, and this hotel had plenty of options lined up for her.

After a few minutes, she crawled into the room of a fit, athletic male. He was on the tall and gangly side, but that was fine with her. She shifted into the form of a tall, voluptuous, and very naked woman. Blond curls rolled over her shoulders, and Horn brushed her hand along the man's chest before straddling him. He woke easily before looking her up and down and didn't struggle in the slightest as she dug her fangs into his neck; clearly, he was perfectly willing to be her food.

Several miles away, in a castle deep in the mountains of Transylvania, Guren opened his eyes. He felt like a long time had passed since Ferid snapped his neck, and his muscles ached far worse than when he had ridden carriages all on day on his trip up here as a human. He felt like he had the flu. At that thought, he tried to cough in vain before he realized he wasn't breathing. Guren inhaled. The effort made him wince with soreness, but it was doable.

His throat felt raw and cracked, unbearably parched as if he were stranded on a desert with a strep infection. Since breathing was so painful, he decided to do without it for now. Strangely, not breathing didn't feel as unnatural as he thought it should. His jaw felt like it had been broken, but he knew better. He could move it, even though it pained him. Guren slowly flexed his fingers and toes, feeling them crack and twinge dreadfully as he tried to get them to move. He felt like he got hit by a train and then run over by a carriage for good measure. All his nerve endings felt like they were on fire and constantly sent agonizing ripples to his brain, desperately pleading for salvation. Guren resisted moaning from the torture.

Surprisingly, despite the pain, it appeared as if Ferid left all his limbs intact.

He looked around but found he was unable to see anything in the pitch-black darkness surrounding him. He awkwardly moved his arms and hands outward, and they soon smacked against a pair of walls. Guren repeated the experiment with his feet and concluded he was in a narrow container.

Frowning, he grimaced and pushed upward. Despite the agonizing pain pounding throughout his body, he used too much strength, and the lid of his container flew into the air before loudly slamming onto the floor. Even though he knew he was stronger than before, the sheer _amount_ of strength caught him off guard. The noise made Guren flinch. The room was surprisingly bright, and he winced for a moment as his eyes adjusted.

He grimaced as he sat up and looked around the room. Although he felt it was painfully bright, there weren't any torches lighting his way. He expected more light sources, but there was only a faint glow from a door that was cracked open instead. The stone walls and floor were relatively clean, and there weren't any windows. Upon noticing these details, Guren realized this horridly bright room was actually quite dark—for a human, that is.

Unamused, Guren realized his "bed" was a coffin. Considering how twisted his business partner's personality was, he figured he shouldn't be surprised.

An elderly, almost skeletal-looking woman with filthy, gray hair and large, painfully swollen joints sat sobbing in a corner of the room. Guren's gaze immediately locked upon the woman as a strange, but irresistible, thirst overwhelmed his senses. He felt empty and starved, as if he hadn't ingested anything in days.

After a moment, he realized that he probably hadn't.

He began salivated and ran his tongue against his teeth, becoming acutely aware of just how unnaturally long his canines were. They had grown to a threatening length and developed cruelly sharp tips. He felt something out of place and abruptly spat out a pair of human canines, the teeth that had been dislodged when the fangs grew in their place.

The woman's heartbeat raced through her sniffles as she clutched an object in her hands and kept running her arthritic thumbs over it.

Guren meant to step out of his box, but inadvertently jumped out instead. He felt so stiff and discombobulated, he stumbled clumsily as he landed and gracelessly righted himself.

The woman looked up at him but remained seated. Obviously, she was chosen to be Guren's meal. The bloodlust was more overwhelming than Guren anticipated, and he immediately headed toward the woman. Despite the impending doom approaching her with Guren's every step, she didn't shrink away from him when he gawkily walked over to her. Instead, she remained seated, palming the item in her hands as she looked up in his direction.

Her eyes were unfocused, and Guren realized she probably couldn't see him in the dark. Even with the faint candlelight slipping through the doorway, it was far too dark for most humans to see clearly and near-impossible for an elderly one.

Guren walked over to her and knelt down, grateful that his meal wouldn't be a child or someone he knew. He half-expected to find Yu tied up and bleeding before him.

The woman bared her neck, practically asking him to drain her, and Guren instinctively lurched forward, driven by his hunger, crunching her throat in his mouth. A hot, divine fluid flowed down his throat, and he gratefully slurped more and more and more. The woman sighed and relaxed in his unholy embrace, surprisingly relieved, despite the fact Guren accidentally crushed her windpipe and consequently ended her life.

After spending several minutes gulping down every last drop of blood he could, Guren licked the wound on her wrinkled, bruised neck clean. No matter how much he licked, he could not free any more of that savory nectar from her flesh; instead, he only increased the bruising and left her neck raw.

To say that Guren felt one hundred percent better than before was an understatement. The ache in his muscles was relieved, and his throat was no longer sore. He no longer felt like he had injuries or broken bones, and the burning in his nerves was appeased. He finally felt full, satisfied. It was like he was finally alive, although he knew the awful, cruel reality was far different.

As he released the woman's corpse and stood up, he realized his movements were much less cumbersome and far more natural than before. Noticing a few drops of blood rolling down his chin, Guren wiped them off with his fingers and greedily licked them clean. Even though his hands were still covered in dirt and sweat from the night he died, he hardly cared when such succulent blood was present. It was a shame the blood had already cooled. He found the hotter, fresher blood to be decidedly better, although this was still quite good. This blood tasted far more delectable than the cold, dark blood of Ferid, which Guren had consumed while hiking down the mountain with Yu and Mika. Fortunately, even though Yu noticed Guren had a new flask, the two never seemed to realize he had been drinking something that wasn't water. Even back then, Guren had already triggered the beginning of his transformation.

The woman's body crumpled to the ground without his support. The object in her hands fell free of her limp fingers and bounced onto the floor.

Guren glanced at it carelessly before narrowing his eyes in recognition. The object was a familiar, cheap heart-shaped locket. He had last seen this object the night he died. It had been around a beautiful young woman's neck. He vaguely remembered her flirting with him before his memories slammed into him. This was the locket of Akane, Sayuri Hanayori's deceased sister. If this elderly woman had it, then she was most likely… Or, rather, she _had_ most likely been Akane and Sayuri's mother.

For a second, Guren's blood ran cold.

Akane had died years ago, and Guren personally saw both Sayuri and their girls' father die the same night he himself did. In that case, their only surviving family member would have been their mother. Did this mean, Guren was responsible for the deaths of not one but _three_ members of the Hanayori family? Was he the one who triggered their extinction? After all, Mika had wanted to avoid getting them involved.

Then again, in this case, perhaps death was a blessing.

Guren recalled how sweet, charming, and innocent Sayuri was as she fumblingly tried to seduce him and chat him up. She was so shy, he doubted she ever slept with anyone before, but she was still searching for a husband—so she said, repeatedly. Even at the end, she insisted on giving them vital information and protecting them. Guren let her do as she pleased, even though he knew she'd be killed for it that very night. Even though he knew she had sealed her fate the moment she led them to the hotel, he never tried to save her and, instead, let her die without regrets.

If nothing else, he had believed her information could be helpful to Yu and might reveal more of that rebellious Mika's history. He had hoped the words would lead Yu to putting up a wall between him and Mika. What he hadn't expected were the details about the vampires he had not come across in his research or had not been explained by his associate.

Guren stepped out of the room, leaving Mrs. Hanayori and Akane's locket behind in the cold dust of his past.

Oddly enough, he felt even less guilty about murdering someone than usual.

His steps echoed down the hall as his gait finally became more controlled and human-like. He hadn't realized how far away the light source had been until he finally reached what appeared to be a lounge.

Guren winced as he stepped in front of the door. The light felt blinding, as if he were staring at the sun, and the sun was blazing through his corneas and melting his retinas. He covered his eyes with his hand at first but soon put his hand back down. He slowly forced his eyes open, squinting as he endured the pain, and his eyes all-too-slowly began adapting to the light.

"Well, well, well," cooed a familiar voice that used to make Guren's skin crawl. Now, it had a charming drawl that seemed to lure Guren closer. If his heart were still beating, he imagined it would begin pacing with an excited rhythm. "Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened… I must apologize for the light, but you'll be able to tolerate it better as you age. After several decades, you might even be able to be active outside during the daytime; you just have to avoid becoming ash."

A candelabra holding three lit candlesticks sat on a table and highlighted Count Ferid Bathory's smooth, white skin. There were no other sources of light, but Guren still found it to be painfully bright. He wasn't sure what he should be more concerned about: his sensitivity to such a meager amount of light, or the fact he craved Ferid's touch and felt compelled to obey his every whim as if he were infatuated with the man. No, perhaps it was better to refer to him as a _monster_.

Guren recalled how Ferid emotionally abused Mika and imprisoned him here all these years. The revolting recollection suddenly made him nauseous, and he had to resist the urge to vomit all that fresh blood he had so ravenously consumed.

This was completely uncharacteristic of him. He had known that boy was Ferid's property all this time, so why was he bothered so suddenly now, completely out of the blue?

"Aha ha!" laughed Ferid without mirth, bringing Guren back to attention.

It made Guren feel cold. Incredibly cold.

"Are you trying to resist me? Anyway, you have some _explaining_ to do, dear business partner of mine," growled the count as he stood up slowly. He slinked over to Guren, his every step filling Guren with a bizarre mixture of terror and yearning. The discordant emotions left him befuddled.

 _These feelings are only the result of the transformation_ , Guren soon came to realize. This conclusion only made him feel more uneasy. _I am the one in control_ , he reminded himself.

Ferid casually strolled around Guren, his boots clicking a steady rhythm against the floor. He brushed his hand threateningly against Guren's shoulder and then wrapped an arm around him. He gestured to an empty chair at the table before the candelabra.

"Perhaps, you should _have a seat_ ," cooed the count with a smile, speaking jovially but still having a hint of anger seething from his voice.

Fear and guilt suddenly washed over Guren. He took a moment to restrain these foreign feelings and managed calmly sat down. He barely overcame his urge to tremble. He convinced himself that this was only a side-effect of the transformation and not truly him.

"Let's start from the beginning," began Ferid, his voice suddenly sounding more joyful. Guren knew his tone was merely a deception to bait Guren into putting down his guard. Or was the count merely teasing him, enjoying the clumsy responses of this newborn vampire?

"You contacted me several months ago," began Ferid. "The letter you sent was one-part modern German and one-part... not. The modern German simply requested my assistance as a 'reputed scholar' to help with translating an 'unknown European language,' which happened to be Old High German. Although Old High German _is_ technically German, it looks like a completely different language to the untrained eye. The translation was something quite curious. If I remember," continued the count, his voice growing low as he moved his mouth near Guren's ear, "it went something like this:

" _I am investigating the secrets of the living corpses. If you are willing to aid me in my search for knowledge, I will assist you with gaining a foothold in England, a country on the western part of Europe. If you are amenable to discussing this further, then please respond to this letter. If you know nothing, then please disregard._ "

Ferid suddenly straightened up before moving to the table and sitting on it in front of Guren. Guren remained stiff as Ferid stared at him. Ferid elegantly crossed his legs.

"Is this not so, Guren Ichinose?" asked Ferid pointedly.

"…It is so," begrudged Guren.

"And then what happened?" asked the count with the sort of patience unique to one beyond the limits of mortality.

Even if the count were at ease, Guren felt an invisible pressure restricting his movements. He felt like his life—or, rather, his _un_ life—was on the line, as if the count had pressed a chilling razor of death against his carotid and was ready to slip it through his flesh at the slightest hint of rebellion.

"You replied to the letter," answered Guren, doing his best to remain unflinching at this precipice of death and undeath. He confirmed that his facial expressions and emotions were significantly more difficult to control than when he was human. "You said you knew a great deal about the undead, and that they roam freely here in the mountains of Transylvania and several other places as well. You warned me that, if I were to come here, I would never return to England… At least, not as a living human."

"Yes," agreed Ferid, "and yet you decided to come anyway. I thought it was quite entertaining for a human to have hunted me down this far… I suppose you discovered me because I left hints of my existence here and there. It makes things more interesting. There _are_ vampires in England already, but it appears you never found them."

"Why did you choose these mountains?" asked Guren suddenly, as if trying to prolong the time he had left.

"Why…? Isn't it obvious for someone of your profession? As one so deeply involved in war and questionable dealings yourself, I'm sure you've noticed. This terrain is easy to defend and difficult to invade. It's also conveniently isolated, keeping us away from prying eyes. There is plenty of wildlife. Since we can survive perfectly well off animal blood alone," continued Ferid, smirking as Guren's eyebrow twitched, "there is no shortage of food. Of course, the small villages are easy to put under our command as well…. What's wrong? Although, we _can_ live off animal blood, it utterly pales in comparison to the delectable taste of the hot, dripping, vital fluid of humans. It would have been a crime if hadn't given you a taste of it for your rebirth! It's not like this is the first time you've killed an innocent human, so why do you appear peeved?"

Guren glared at the overly-amused count.

"Don't tell me… It's because you're thirsty again already? My, my, aren't you a gluttonous one…? Well, it's normal for the young to be so greedy. If you behave yourself from now on, then I'll let you taste another one tonight," cooed the count demurely as if placating a child.

As much as Guren loathed to admit it, Ferid was right. Guren was already so thirsty, it was as if his meal earlier had been an illusion. He found this ridiculous thirst and these unrestrained emotions to be incredibly irritating. As a man who had been proud of his effortless poker face up to the day he died, he now had the awful realization that he had to learn to keep his emotions restrained all over again.

Ferid grinned, clearly enjoying Guren's discomfort. "The change is different for everyone. The thirst is overwhelming, of course, but some people become emotionally loose cannons, while others lose the bulk of their emotions. A few hardly have any changes in personality between when they were human and when they were reborn. It's quite interesting to see which changes will occur."

"Which one happened to you?" asked Guren, speaking up as he fought to keep his unruly feelings in-line.

"Me…? Hm… I didn't notice much of a change at first. I had more self-control than most fledglings. Anyway, before I tell you anymore about what is to come, we much return to the previous topic at hand. I would appreciate it if you would _quit derailing the conversation._ "

Guren's throat suddenly grew tight as if someone were strangling him, and he grimaced. He felt grateful for the fact he could no longer breathe since Ferid's words alone made him feel like he would suffocate.

"Anyway," continued Ferid lightly, "we made an agreement. I would let you come safely, but you could not leave as you were. In exchange, you would give me information and a new home to play in. And so, you came, despite knowing I would end your life here. I allowed you to bring a few companions with you, but you only brought that obnoxiously loud child, Yuichiro... Out of everyone you could choose, why did you choose him?"

"He doesn't think very hard," answered Guren immediately once he felt Ferid lighten the pressure on him. Was that also a skill from vampirism?

"Oh? Isn't that usually a bad thing?"

"He doesn't think and isn't paranoid, unlike the other members of our company. He wouldn't notice minor inconsistencies. Even when I stayed here far longer than what should have been necessary for the two of us to write and sign a deal for a mansion, he never questioned me. Up until the end, he was never concerned about why we remained here for so long. Anyone else would have been put more on-edge and would have begun to suspect my motives."

"So, you took advantage of his naivete?"

"…That isn't wrong. More than that, Yu acts on instinct. Even when something goes wrong, he doesn't take much time to worry about the specifics or details of the matter. When something attacks him, he retaliates. If something doesn't feel right, he leaves. He doesn't waste time speculating on _why_ something might feel dangerous or _if_ something might be illogical. He doesn't try to explain away his feelings, and he doesn't ignore them. Even after he met you, he avoided you."

"Hahahaha," laughed the count without amusement. "Isn't that because you _told_ him to keep away from me? You noticed I was keeping Mika as a pet, and you didn't want Yuichiro to become a snack."

"When Mika advised him to flee, he left. Even when Sayuri Hanayori told him a story that was irrational and fantastical, he didn't disregard it… Any of my other followers would be more skeptical and might not move quickly enough in such a bizarre, unscientific situation."

"If they would have hesitated, then they would be dead," stated Ferid evenly. "Well, that is a reasonable conclusion if a true battle were to break out. Of course, we had no intentions of killing you or your companions. At least," continued Ferid as his smile curved wickedly, "not giving you a _final_ death, anyway. Why would we want to kill you two when you could provide us such valuable information and act as our dutiful servants once we reached England?"

He waited, and Guren felt the uncomfortable and unnatural urge to respond. He choked down the desperate urge to please the man before him.

"I chose the person I thought would be most likely to survive," said Guren stiffly as he tried and failed to remain silent. "You never mentioned… the ability to control another person's mind."

Ferid laughed lightly.

"I thought Mika kept silent about your true nature because he thought no one would believe such a ridiculous story," said Guren. "I thought he believed he would lose our trust if he told the truth."

"He's warned my previous guests before. They all either betrayed him or died," stated Ferid proudly.

"Hah!" snorted Guren derisively. "And I don't doubt that you had something to do with those betrayals."

Ferid's perpetual smile stretched out without amusement, and Guren suddenly felt his neck tighten so much, he could hardly breathe at all. Even if he didn't _need_ to breathe anymore, he found it incredibly uncomfortable. Guren vainly clutched at his neck as if to remove a vice clamped around it, but nothing was there.

"I knew I liked you," said Ferid with a contradictory tone filled with disdain. "You are cunning and clever. Your arrogance could use some work, though. Even after I gave you and that boy room and board and let you experiment with vampire blood as you wished, you still left abruptly and stirred up quite a bit of trouble in the village. After being here for so many weeks, Mika finally opened up to Yuichiro, who then relayed the story to you. And then…"

"Yu had already grown… quite attached… to Mika," muttered Guren as the vice-like grip on his throat suddenly eased, and he gasped for breath. He squirmed uncomfortably as he struggled against Ferid's charm. He had never thought of Ferid's eyes as so warm and gentle nor his lips of being so soft and the perfect shade of red, but he certainly never wanted to. His memories of this man and the unnatural feelings he felt toward him now clashed uncomfortably, making him feel confused and revolted. Fortunately, Ferid did not appear to be romantically inclined toward Guren, or else Guren would have to use all his willpower to avoid falling for him. He felt filthy, as if sewage were being poured onto his soul every second longer he was awake, corrupting and degrading his sense of self.

"Oh, _yes_ ," agreed Ferid with a mocking smile. "Your dear Yuichiro has latched himself onto Mika like a barnacle onto the hull of a ship."

"And so, he wanted to flee with Mika right away," continued Guren, "They planned to escape the next morning. I told you about their escape plans… that very night. You weren't surprised but said you had no plans of letting any of us leave Transylvania for the time being. I asked for your blood, and you gave me a canteen full of it. The plan was… I would drink the blood as we traveled down the mountain, and you would kill me that very night. In order to become a vampire, one must drink vampire blood and then die. As agreed, I prolonged our stay in the village. If we continued constantly moving like Mika wished, then we may have made quite a bit of distance before nightfall. Fortunately, Sayuri caught us and delayed our leave when she explained the truth that Mika couldn't…"

"Yes. We do enjoy a good hunt, chasing down Mika and whatever companions he's made when he tries to run away from home. Of course, it's even more fun to make those humans betray him," said the count with a broad, fanged smile. "Humans all have a twisted nature, even if they try to blame those traits on so-called 'monsters.' It's quite delightful to bring these traits to the forefront. Anyway, there was an unforeseen complication in the plan… Why did you attack Chess? She arrived at the scene so quickly because she chased after Mika even before I issued the order to do so. Since she was so hasty, she didn't receive any specific instructions on how to deal with you and left you be. Instead, she killed the woman who gave you information and betrayed my law. Although she attempted to retrieve Mika as planned, she never attacked or threatened you."

Ferid's eyes narrowed, somehow shifting his broad, proud smile into a displeased, sinister one.

"Then, you attacked her," continued Ferid. "Why?"

Guren gritted his teeth.

"Don't tell me," asked the count condescendingly, "you wanted to be portrayed as a hero to the little orphan boy you plucked up from the slums? Did you wish to be his savior? His guardian angel? His _god?_ "

Guren trembled at the pressure exuded by the count.

"Well, you sure died as a hero, alright!" praised the count sarcastically. "You betrayed one of your future family members and injured her quite badly. Then, you finally got to die as a martyr right in front of Yu, no doubt giving him nightmares for years to come! You could've saved him a lot of grief if you were only honest with him, you know? Even now, he's staying with Mika at an inn in Klausenburgh. Although he was infatuated with _my pet_ , his feelings for him died with your death. He has no idea that you are one of us or that you never planned to return with him to England in the first place. You may call _me_ a villain, but _you_ certainly aren't a heroic knight either."

Guren flinched as Ferid blatantly pointed out his hypocrisy. Then, he realized that a few moments earlier, the count made a curious statement: he specified that Guren _attacked_ Chess, not that he _killed_ her. If Chess had died, then how could the count have known she had not attacked Guren or Yu? Since she had not only tried to prey upon Yu at the castle but was the first one to find them, Guren had been concerned she was a threat to Yu. That said, her death might also make it impossible for Guren to complete his objectives.

"How is Chess?" asked Guren warily, realizing she must have survived his foolhardy attacks.

"Oh hoh! So now, you ask," teased the count, grinning broadly. "Well, you avoided shooting her heart when you fired at her, so those wounds were only minor injuries for a vampire of her caliber. That said, the grenade you threw behind her didn't treat her so kindly, and neither did the collapse of hotel. She survived, of course, but it will take her quite some time to fully recover. If it wasn't clear that you intentionally avoided killing her, then I would personally teach you how painful not dying could really be. That said, as part of your punishment, you will have to assist Chess with her recovery before I will allow you to have any freedom."

"What are you planning with Yuichiro?" asked Guren. He noticed his throat growing incredibly parched and was impatient to end this conversation and gulp down more blood. How could he be so thirsty already? Even so, he knew there were questions more important than his thirst. Whether the count would answer them was another matter.

"Haha. I wonder? I think it might be fun to play with him awhile longer, and it will be fun to strip the hope from Mika's eyes once he bonds with Yu. The closer Mika grows to him, the more painful it will be for Mika to see him torn into pieces before his very eyes! That said, Yu's expression when he saw you die was simply _delightful_. I wonder if I could have him make that expression again."

Guren quelled the rage burning up inside of him as he truly realized, for the first time, what was meant with the warnings of the vampire curse. Somehow, he knew the consequences of his decisions were only beginning, and they would be far less pleasant than the godawful night he had awoken into.


	17. 20 June 1897

20 June 1897.

Guren sat on a window sill high up on the castle, watching as the gloom of the night deepened into a darkness nearly as stifling as the inside of his coffin, and waited for his next instructions. Surprisingly, he had taken to sleeping in that unnatural bed simply because it was so good at keeping out that accursed light. Even the feeble light of the moon, which had waned to a uselessly dull sliver, seemed to burn his eyes, and he felt grateful for the constantly cloudy sky surrounding the count's domain. The world felt astonishingly bright, as if he had been blind before but now could see.

The count had explained that vampires could see far better at night than mere humans, but their color vision was somewhat lacking in exchange. His senses of smell, hearing, and sense of tactile touch were far greater than they used to be. However, he noticed that his ability to sense heat and cold was strangely dulled. He felt pain when he stuck a finger into the flame of a candle, but the melted wax from a burning candle merely felt warm rather than hot. Guren was delighted to realize he had less sensitivity to pain. He had watched as the burn on his finger healed after about a minute; it was far slower than the healing rate of the other vampires but vastly superior to that of humans.

Despite all these advantages, the constant thirst was nigh-unbearable and left Guren concluding that living as a human was far more comfortable.

Guren heard the beating of several sets of hooves and the wheels of the carriage long before he saw them. He clambered down the castle wall as if he were climbing a rock wall. His inhuman strength helped him to reach into the crevices between the stones and easily hold his weight. As he shuffled around, he realized Yu must have seen one of the lesser vampires doing this before, back when he told Guren about seeing a "massive spider" or another creature climbing up one of the castle walls in the dark.

Guren only had a few dozen feet to go when his foot slipped, and he crashed to the ground.

Utterly winded, he reminded himself he didn't need to breathe. He noticed he his ribs were sore and wondered if he had bruised or broken them, but soon felt them mend. Guren quickly hopped to his feet as if he had only fallen into a soft bed and hadn't fallen from a few dozen feet above the ground. He casually brushed himself off as the carriages approached.

" _Bleib hier_ ," ordered Crowley in German to the coachman.

It was only now that Guren could see Crowley wasn't on the coach at all but was riding his own horse alongside it.

Crowley sat on a large, black horse. He was speaking to the carriage behind him, which Guren noticed was driven by a familiar coachman. Guren narrowed his eyes slightly and realized it was the coachman who took him to the Borgo Pass and delivered him to Crowley. The coachman had obviously known the dangers of the area, but he was clearly under Crowley's control now.

Recalling how anxious the coachman's horses had been that first night when Crowley met them in Borgo Pass, Guren glanced at them. Like the coachman, the horses appeared dazed but calm.

Guren detected a faint scent of blood on the air, making him struggle to stay put instead of investigating. Once he calmed down, he noticed a thin scratch on the neck of either horse. Given how calm they were acting, did that mean Crowley had drunken the blood of the horses and had them under his control? Was that possible?

If so, then Guren knew far less about vampires than he thought he did.

Crowley approached Guren. The horse's quick, powerful steps were enough to send Crowley's mahogany hair drifting around his face. He gave a gentle smile. "If you want to climb better, then you need to do it bare-footed," he advised simply, obviously having noticed Guren's embarrassing tumble. "Your toes can grip the wall better that way."

Guren ignored him and instead paid attention to the horse Crowley sat on. He recalled how Mika said that the horses only obeyed Crowley, and, despite their journey, the one under Crowley didn't appear tired even slightly out of breath. Upon closer scrutiny, he realized the horse wasn't breathing. He listened, focusing on his supernatural hearing and realized one final clue to the puzzle: the horse had no heartbeat.

"You can turn a horse into a vampire?" asked Guren, surprised by how little he knew after researching these creatures for an entire year.

"Haha!" laughed Crowley. Unlike Ferid's malicious giggles, Crowley's laugh was hearty and gentle. "It's possible, but it's much more difficult than siring a human. Even then, beasts don't have the abilities to enthrall others or to create more vampires. They still have to drink blood and avoid sunlight, though."

"Does that mean that not everyone who drinks vampire blood becomes a vampire?"

"That's correct. Unless certain preparations are made, only about a third of them survive as vampires. One way to increase your chances is by making someone drink a lot of vampire blood, like what Ferid did with you. The best way to increase your odds is to make someone drink a lot of the vampire blood over time, and this vampire often turns out stronger than most newborns. That said, if a human drinks blood from multiple vampires, that human will probably become very ill and die without turning. For this reason, you can only drink blood from one vampire alone if you are a human planning to become a vampire."

"Is that what Ferid is doing with Mika?"

Crowley smiled silently, not scolding Guren for addressing Ferid informally.

"Anyway," said Crowley, side-stepping Guren's question, "I need your help getting these humans to Chess, minus the coachman. You need to take them up to the fifth-floor bathroom where Chess has been recovering. She needs to bathe in their blood and drink what she can. You can keep one for yourself once you've completed this task. I've already instructed them to obey the orders of anyone at this castle."

"I was just going to drink animal blood."

"I don't recommend it. Not when you're this young, anyway. Animal blood will hardly slake your thirst. You will develop more self-control once you're older, but, if you rely on animal blood, you're more likely to lose control and go on a rampage later."

Guren nodded without any indication he was going to follow Crowley's advice.

"As long as you bite the human carefully, then that person might last for a few days, even if you feed from the same person every night. Given the voracious appetite of newborns, I suppose one for you might only last a night or two, but you would be able to feed on it repeatedly during that time. You just have to avoid causing an infection or tearing an artery."

Guren walked over to the carriage. "Everyone except the coachman, come with me," he commanded them in German. One by one, people walked out. There were men, women, and a pair of young children.

Guren stiffened at the sight. He initially attributed this to the guilt he felt for guiding the children to their deaths, but then he realized they were the source of the sweet scent stimulating his appetite even more than the woman he feasted on the previous night. He had the urge to sink his teeth into their necks, rip their heads off, and pull out their hearts. He wanted to crush their hearts in his hands as the hot blood dripped into this mouth. He wanted to do the same with their kidneys. After a tense moment, Guren swallowed back his saliva, struggling to remain in control.

Why did the children simply look so _delicious?_

"Th-This way," he instructed them and headed into the castle. The humans, their eyes dull and listless, followed him without hesitation.

The count stood by Mika's bed. No one in the inn noticed his arrival. Mika's fluffy blond hair curled around his pale skin and pink lips. When he wasn't glaring, Mika truly looked like a wingless angel.

Ferid gazed longingly at the slumbering seventeen-year-old and slowly reached out a hand. He brushed Mika's cheek with his finger. The warmth of Mika's flesh made the vampire's skin tingle.

"Mika, _stay asleep_ ," he commanded softly, his voice full of the tenderness Ferid revealed to Mika alone, "but _come to me_."

The boy sluggishly rolled over in the bed, facing the vampire as he pulled his bed sheet back. Mika stood and walked into Ferid's embrace. He may have been sleep-walking, but, under Ferid's command, he would not awaken so easily.

Ferid wrapped his arms around his pet and burrowed his face into Mika's hair, inhaling Mika's scent, even though he'd memorized it a thousand times by now. Mika's scent always put him at peace, although it nearly drove him into a frenzied thirst every time. He knew Mika was fated to be his. No human had ever made him feel this way, after all, regardless of how many centuries he'd spent idling his time. From the moment Ferid first encountered him in the village, this was the way he felt.

Ferid sneaked a glance at the _other_ child, the one whom Guren likened to a beast, which lived by his instincts instead of his reasoning.

Yu flopped around in his sleep. His blanket was bunched up around him, and he had an uneasy frown.

"G-Guren," he murmured before squirming deeper under the blanket.

To think, his precious Guren had made such an elaborate and laudable stage just so that he could pretend to be the hero! Really, humans made such worthless efforts at times to do the most ridiculous things. Of course, this was the reason Ferid enjoyed playing with them so much.

That said, he would let Yu believe Guren was _dead-dead_ and not _undead_ in order to punish Yu for letting his precious Mika out of his cage. As for the rest of the punishment, Ferid hadn't quite decided on it yet.

Perhaps he would have Guren drink him dry?

Pushing such idle thoughts aside, Ferid brushed his hand through Mika's hair and nuzzled against his face briefly before opening his mouth at Mika's throat. He pierced Mika's skin as slowly as he could, enjoying the hitch in Mika's breathing as Ferid infiltrated his meat ever deeper. He hugged Mika closely to him, as intimate as a lover. Mika's blood quickly began leaking into Ferid's mouth, but, unsatisfied, Ferid sunk his fangs as deeply as he could without endangering Mika's life. The blood flow quickly increased and ran over Ferid's tongue. He lapped it up eagerly, feeling gratified when Mika's heart rate and breathing quickened.

Mika sleepily returned Ferid's embrace, clutching onto his white shirt as if he wanted Ferid to penetrate him more deeply. Of course, Mika had too much pride to act in such a manner when he was awake, but his sleeping form naturally accepted the pleasure Ferid provided.

Eventually Mika began to tremble and grow weak. Even so, Ferid continued to drink diligently until Mika's legs gave out. It was only then that Ferid finally pulled his fangs free of Mika's neck, leaving a delectable-looking wound in their place. He lifted Mika into his embrace and enjoyed Mika's shuddering breaths. Whether he was breathing so hard from the pleasure or the anemia was difficult to say.

Ferid licked the hot blood from Mika's neck and sucked on the wound, bruising the skin clearly enough for Yu to notice it later.

Unlike a newborn vampire, an elder vampire, such as Ferid, could go for steadily lengthening periods of times without feeding. At this point in his unlife, Ferid could manage to feed only once a week, although any longer would make him truly grew thirstier than he could stand. After drinking so much from Mika, he felt bloated. Even so, he felt that draining Mika so extensively would be enough to give them a warning.

He gently placed Mika back onto the bed and put the sheet back over him. His heart rate was far more rapid than before Ferid arrived, clearly reacting to the blood loss. Mika was so pale, he was nearly white, and even his soft pink lips showed obvious pallor.

Ferid sat beside Mika and brushed a finger across his warm lips. As much as he yearned for Mika to submit that mouth to him, he insisted on waiting patiently for Mika to surrender to him first. That way, Mika would truly become his and his alone.

Long ago, Ferid had already decided to wait as long as it took. If Mika lived long enough for Ferid to lose interest in him, then so be it. If someone else was the one to kill Mika and provide the final step for him to awaken into vampire-hood, then it would be that person's fault, not Ferid's. In the meantime, Ferid would make sure to never kill his pet… Forcing him to the brink of death was perfectly acceptable, however.

Ferid withdrew his hand and bit deeply into his index finger several times before slipping the bloody appendage into Mika's mouth. His blood was distinctly darker than Mika's and far more potent than even a standard vampire's.

" _Drink_ ," whispered Ferid lightly.

Mika swallowed the toxic medicine as it dripped onto his tongue.

After some consideration, Ferid created claws and wounded the other fingers of that hand deeply before stuffing them back into Mika's mouth, allowing far more blood to drip down. Since the undead had no pulse, their blood did not flow as easily as a living creature's.

More of the cold, dark vampire blood fell into Mika's mouth, and the human continued to unknowingly consume it.

Although Ferid had made Mika consume his blood frequently over the past five years, he always controlled the boy and instructed him to forget or else fed him when he was under a hypnotic sleep like this. That way, Mika never knew what he was up to. He may not have known that humans could become vampires, but he was clever. If he noticed Ferid was feeding him his blood, it probably wouldn't be long for him to deduce the truth…. And Ferid believed the look of realization and horror on Mika's face at that time would be absolutely delightful!

Ferid's face blushed with contentment as Mika took in his essence. Blushing was only something he could do after consuming his fill.

Thoroughly distracted by the meal he had spent the past five years raising, it was only now that he noticed Yu's breathing and heart rate had increased like Mika's but, obviously, for very different reasons.

Metal scraped against wood as Yu snatched the revolver from the bed stand.

Without any hesitation, Ferid yanked Mika up from the bed and into his arms, making sure that Mika was facing Yu and using him as a hostage—or, perhaps, a very fleshy shield. After a thought, Ferid kept a pair of his fingers in Mika's mouth as he adjusted the human shield in front of him. Mika remained deep in his slumber, relaxing innocently against Ferid's cold body.

Ferid grinned as he peeked his head out from behind Mika's. He rested his head on Mika's shoulder as if he and Mika were lovers.

"Aww," cooed Ferid as a mischievous grin stretched across his mouth. "Shouldn't little children be sleeping quietly now?"

"I'm not a child," said Yu, now wide-awake as he pointed the revolver at Ferid. He grimaced, frowning as his eyes kept switching their focus from Mika to Ferid and back again. His gun might have been accurate enough to shoot Ferid at this range, but he vividly remembered what happened when he fired his gun at Ferid last time. Clearly, the painful memory of shooting his own mentor made him hesitate.

If he fired, Ferid would gladly sacrifice Mika. After all, the one who would've killed him would have been Yuichiro, one of those filthy, traitorous humans.

The question was whether or not Yuichiro was foolish enough to fall for such provocation.

It took a few seconds, but Yu finally noticed the fingers sticking in Mika's mouth. His eyes narrowed, and his pupils shrank. Ferid saw the muscles of Yu's neck and jaw contract. He heard Yu's heart throb much more loudly than before, clearly responding to his rage.

Ferid's smile grew wider.

"What are you doing?" demanded Yu, his voice much deeper and restrained than Ferid expected. Perhaps he had matured with Guren's death.

"Me?" asked Ferid innocuously. "I'm just playing with my sweet little pet. His tongue is so soft, you see—"

" _Get away from him!_ " hissed Yu, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Aha ha ha!" laughed Ferid. As usual, it sounded fake. He pulled his fingers free from Mika's suckling mouth. With a light shake of his fingers, the dark blood covering them disappeared. He trailed his hand across Mika's jaw and down his slender neck, overtly emphasizing the mark he'd left earlier. Mika was his property, after all. As fun as it was to watch this teenager try to steal Mika from him, that brat needed to know his place. How dare he act possessive over something Ferid owned?

Yu clearly saw the bruise on Mika's neck and was clearly pissed.

"I'm going to kill you," stated Yu as if it that were even a possibility. "I'm going to kill every last one of you. I'm not going to leave a single one of you goddamn bloodsuckers alive!"

Ferid laughed again.

"Is that right?" he asked, smiling as if they were chatting about the weather instead of murder. "In that case, it's fine if I act in self-defense, isn't it? You know, you're the first human to take Mika so far away from me." Of course, that had only happened because he only ordered Horn to track them after Guren died. He had decided to wait until he talked with Guren before making a decision about how to end this game. "How about I give you a reward?"

"I don't want a reward from you, you filthy monster," hissed Yu, clearly eager to fire the gun in his hands.

"Is that so?" asked Ferid, adjusting Mika to a more comfortable position.

Yu's expression briefly faltered as his eyes shot to Mika. He refocused on Ferid, adjusting his aim.

"It doesn't look that way to me," replied Ferid with a snide look. "Since you've come this far, it would be a shame to stop you now. I want to see how you will betray Mika. After all, you're clearly not capable of protecting him."

"I can protect him," argued Yu.

"Clearly, you can't," retorted the vampire. "But I'm willing to make a wager with you. I am strong. The vampires who live in my castle are also strong. However, we're quite busy at the moment. Against a weak human like you, we could hardly expect a challenge. Instead, I'll place a bounty a you. If you can defeat or escape from the vampires who come after you, then I will allow you to take my sweet and delicious Mikaela to England."

"He isn't yours," stated Yu, clearly not focused on the more important points Ferid mentioned.

"Well?" he asked patiently. "If you lose, you die. If you win, you can introduce Mika to your homeland. Of course, this may still be too much of a gamble. I'm willing to be generous. If you ever want to quit this game," he said, his eyes glittering dangerously, "then you can just abandon Mika. If you do, I swear not to kill you."

Of course, this didn't mean that Ferid wouldn't drink his blood and enjoy forcing Yu to do things against his will or let someone else end his life.

"I will never abandon him!" shouted Yu.

"Shh!" hissed the count. "People are sleeping, you know? I know you're loud, but you can't be so inconsiderate when you're living with other people."

Yu glared at him. His expression shifted between hate and sorrow as he tried to think his way out of this. Even so, he kept his gun locked on Ferid.

"Killing you right now is not a problem if you refuse," stated Ferid simply.

Yu grimaced. His expression turned sad when he looked at Mika.

"In that case, give me Mika. I'll take your deal," stated Yu begrudgingly after a long minute.

Ferid grinned and chucked the sleeping Mika at Yu, throwing his body through the air as easily as if Mika were naught but a stuffed animal. Alarmed, Yu quickly moved his gun out of the way. Mika slammed into him, and the pair formed a pile of limbs on the floor.

"Mika will sleep deeply," said the count as he expertly unlocked the window, "so don't be surprised if he doesn't wake up for breakfast."

Before Yu could aim the gun at him, Ferid jumped through the window. Yu crawled out from under Mika and looked outside, anxious to shoot the vampire before he could escape.

Looking down, Yu spotted some tipped over trashcans and piles of trash in the alley behind the hotel. A drunk man leaned against a wall as he wobbled along. Otherwise, the alley was empty.

Yu didn't notice the bat flying away from the building.

He slammed the window shut and locked it firmly before walking back to Mika. His anger turned to pity as he looked at the sleeping figure on the floor. Even when Ferid threw him, Mika eyes never even fluttered open. He must have been under some kind of deep trance, one of those bizarre spells that Sayuri had described.

Yu knelt down and cautiously lifted Mika into his arms. Mika didn't appear to be injured, but he was completely limp. Yu carried Mika back to the bed near the window. His thighs throbbed painfully from all the horse-riding he'd done in the past few days, but he ignored the muscle aches.

He placed Mika down gently and turned his head to examine the bruise on his neck. The insect bite-like marks in the middle of the bruise were probably from the vampire bite. Sayuri had warned Yu that Mika could turn against him at any time, but, from what Yu had seen of Ferid, he liked playing these sadistic games too much to bring them to a sudden (and, for him, anticlimactic) end. He could have taken Mika away easily, but he didn't. Judging by how Ferid acted, it sounded like he would at least leave them alone for the rest of the night.

Yu wanted to take Mika to stay at another inn but doing so at this time of night would only make them extraordinarily conspicuous, even if the count had not coerced any villagers here to be on the lookout for them. Even worse, Mika was sleeping like the dead and never woke up through any of that. If Yu carried an unconscious man who looked like he'd been drugged, then he'd definitely catch the eye of anyone working at the front desk this late at night.

Yu checked the lock on the door. Surprisingly, it was still locked, making Yu wonder if Ferid relocked it after he entered the room. No matter how he pondered about it, Yu just couldn't figure it out.

After some hesitation, Yu decided to remain in the room and pulled the curtains on the window back in place. He looked at the shadow of Mika on the bed.

That monster claimed Mika belonged to him. He was possessive and seemed to touch him just to stir Yu up. Although he claimed Mika was a precious belonging of his, he still heartlessly threw Mika across the room, possibly injuring him. If he cared, then how could he treat his so-called "pet" like that? Even if Ferid were human, he'd still be a monster.

He had no right to "own" or care for anyone, in Yu's opinion.

Mika was kind. He took the risk of getting Yu and Guren out of there, even though he knew the consequences would be severe. He was paranoid and on guard all the time, but how could he not be when Ferid took such pains to make everyone he met betray him? Even now, it was clear from Ferid's proposal that he wanted Yu to abandon Mika just like everyone else had.

Yu recalled how that monster had touched Mika's mouth and neck and claimed him as his property.

Mika was too good for that monster.

Yu rolled a hand into a fist and squeezed.

Mika was too good for that abomination, and Yu was going to survive this bet and get Mika out of this hellhole. He would either save Mika, or he would die trying.

Given how powerless Mika was, Yu suspected the second possibility was more likely.

The next morning, Mika awoke sluggishly, sore and exhausted. Even worse, he felt very hot, and something was crowding him on his bed, giving him hardly any room to stretch his limbs. Mika sleepily turned his head, frowning as he recognized a head of black hair snuggled up next to him.

Mika's eyebrows pinched together as he tried to blink sleep from his eyes and remove this hallucination from his sight. Yet, no matter how many times he blinked, that hallucination did not disperse.

Surely, it was just a stubborn illusion, right?

Surely, Yu did not have the gall to dare crawl into Mika's bed, right?

Ironically, Yu had felt distant to Mika since the night Guren died, even if they were physically closer than ever before. Back in the castle, Yu had made jokes (what Mika had decided were jokes) about spending the night in Mika's room. Even the night before they fled Bathory Castle, Yu had tried to convince Mika to let him sleep in his room. Part of Mika felt a flicker of hope that Yu was returning to normal and part of him felt a dash of concern that Yu was returning to normal, leaving Mika conflicted but optimistic.

It appeared that Yu had finally taken advantage of Mika now that he was so dead asleep from exhaustion.

There were two odd details about this scene, however. First, Yu and Mika both had their clothes on. Second, Mika felt even _more_ exhausted than he had the night before. Just what exactly had Yu done to him in his sleep to leave him feeling so drained?

"Yu?" asked Mika tentatively and somewhat accusatorily. His voice was hoarse from sleep. He wearily extracted Yu's arm from his waist and pushed it away. "What the hell are you doing in my bed?"

Why did Mika have an ominous feeling about Yu's answer?

"Ngh...?" mumbled Yu incoherently. "Oh, yeah," said Yu, blinking as he yawned. "Vampire… last night… I didn't wake up right away, so I decided to watch you… more closely…"

Mika watched Yu more closely, alright. Yu didn't appear to be lying. Now that he was more awake, Mika noticed he really was quite sore compared to the day before, and his neck ached worse of all. He tentatively brushed his fingers around the base of his neck, flinching when he touched the tender area Ferid favored. Although it hurt, the only sensation that remained after he removed his fingers was a bleak numbness at the situation.

The only person who could drain Mika so sneakily was Ferid. Of course, Ferid had managed to find him, no matter how far he had fled.

Had Ferid prevented Mika from realizing his blood was being taken, or had he manipulated Mika's memories? Which method Ferid used was beyond Mika's abilities to determine at this point, but he planned to interrogate Yu for the details later. Even as Mika tried to push his concerns away for later, the question still plagued him at the edges of his mind.

Mika squirmed with the unwholesome realization he'd spent the night being munched on without knowing it—and _then_ spent the rest of the night sharing a bed with Yu. He sluggishly rolled away from his bedmate.

"And did sleeping in _my bed_ help?" asked Mika with some scorn.

"Nope," said Yu, yawning again. Yu looked as tired as Mika felt. He had gray shadows beneath his eyes, and irritated red vessels ran across the whites of his eyes.

"Did you even sleep?"

"I don't… don't think so," mumbled Yu, trying to wake up.

"What happened to this vampire?"

"It was Ferid… He, uh, escaped," said Yu with a yawn.

Somehow, the lack of details made Mika suspect something more had happened. Had Yu seen Mika being fed on? Did he hear Mika's moans, which may have leaked out? The thought made him feel queasy and ashamed, but, other than Yu's sudden proximity, Yu appeared to be acting normally—normally by Yu's standards, anyway. In that case, just what was Yu hiding, if anything at all? Mika hoped he was just paranoid.

Since they were both wearing clothes, Mika doubted Yu did anything… untoward, but he kept his guard up. Having someone so close made Mika uncomfortable. Mika stood up from the bed, anxious to get away from there while he could.

Suddenly, the room started spinning, and everything turned dark.

"Mika?" called out Yu. "Oy, Mika!"

His voice sounded distant, and then everything went silent.

A moment later, Mika gradually became aware once more with a new scowl plastered on his face. He now realized another part of the story: Ferid had taken _at least_ twice his usual share of blood, if not more. The extent of the anemia wasn't obvious at first because he was already so exhausted from traveling.

Since it was like this, Mika would doubtlessly hinder Yu's escape.

As color returned to the world, Yu's face looming overhead was the first thing Mika saw. He felt Yu rubbing one of his arms to stir him back into consciousness. Yu had a worried expression on his face, which made Mika feel relieved. He hadn't imagined it; Yu was regaining his expressions again.

Mika preferred to see Yu smiling, but he'd never tell him that.

"We need to… make sure we catch the train to Vienna. Do you know when it's leaving?" asked Mika, disregarding his health and acting as if he hadn't just fainted and crashed onto the floor.

After much insistence, Mika finally convinced Yu to continue with their plans to head to Vienna instead of staying and resting for another day. If nothing else, they knew for certain that Ferid had already found them and would easily find them again if they stayed in the same area.

Although Yu's answers to Mika's questions about the previous night were vague, Mika was too weary to interrogate him further.

Everything seemed to pass by like a blur, and, before long, the pair boarded the train to Vienna.

Yu ended up carrying all the luggage while Mika only focused on trying to walk straight. Mika's gait was unsteady, and he heard people curse at him from across the street, scolding him for being so drunk in the morning. Mika had not touched alcohol and was irritated by their crude remarks and the people who assumed they knew everything, but he ignored them and focused on walking. Yu grit his teeth when he heard them, but he restrained his anger and, instead, chose to watch Mika like a hawk. Once they got seated on the train and Yu was able to put the luggage down, he remained glued to Mika's side, tenderly holding his arm to help him keep his balance or to ask how Mika was feeling. It was downright smothering, but, for some reason, Mika realized he didn't mind.

Once they sat down, Mika gasped for air as he caught his breath and tried to relax. After several minutes, Mika intentionally let himself fall asleep. In his current condition, it was obvious he wouldn't get far. It was just as obvious that Yu was metaphorically glued to his side. In that case, he needed to do his best to recover, so at least Yu could escape. If not… then, he would have to take a separate path from his only remaining friend.

Once they reached Vienna, they entered another hotel. Although Mika had slept for most of the train ride, it wasn't long before he collapsed on the bed, deep asleep once more.

Yu watched Mika's slumbering figure, narrowing his eyes.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists at his sides.

Mika's condition drastically delayed their travel plans. Although Mika never once complained or begged Yu for a rest today, he was clearly in no condition to travel. If Mika weren't here, then Yu would already be off to the next city, traveling west as quickly as the trains would allow. Without a doubt, abandoning Mika was the fastest way to reach home and assemble a force against the vampires who chased them.

The reason Mika never complained despite feeling so terrible would be because he didn't want to slow Yu down or put him in danger. If Mika knew that vampires were going to start chasing after them because Yu remained at Mika's side, then Yu suspected Mika would probably leave on his own. Yu frowned, and his stomach churned at the thought. Mika knew that separating from Yu was the safest way to make sure Yu survived, and he'd been attempting to split from Yu ever since they hiked down the vampires' mountain. There was no way Yu could tell him what new danger they were about to face, not if it meant Yu would lose Mika too.

Leaving Mika wasn't an option. Yu refused to lose anyone else.

Even so, Yu watched Mika sleep, wondering just how much longer he would have the chance to enjoy this view.

Eventually, Yu left to buy food and check the train schedules for the next day. The longer they stayed, the longer these vampire bounty hunters would be after them. If nothing else, they needed to escape their line of sight before the hunters heard about them, and the sun set on their lives.

Notes:

" _Bleib hier_ " is a German command meaning "stay here."


	18. 22 June 1897

22 June 1897.

Shinoa spotted a few of her friends and trotted over to them. Even nearing dusk, the raucous clamor of the busy London street made this a challenge. Although many believed London to be the capital of the civilized world, especially by those who _didn't_ live there day-in and day-out, London often had the feel of a confining pond with far too many fish. The air was so unreasonably hot, heavy, and loaded with the humidity, she wondered if she could drown in it. The stench of trash from this side of town didn't make any part of this even slightly more bearable.

People bustled about here and there as they finished their work for the day and hastily headed home to their families and dinners.

Even if the rank trash and overwhelming humidity remained, it would be a hundred times better if there were even the slightest breeze, she finally decided. The _slightest_ breeze. Was there even the littlest, itty-bittiest, faintest trace of wind to freshen up the air?

No.

Not even remotely.

Shinoa pouted as she finally reached her friends.

"So, has anyone heard anything from Yu?" asked Shinoa, meekly tugging her dress away from her moist skin to give it room to breathe. Unfortunately, the sticky sweat was giving her some resistance, which was not helping her mood. Her bangs were plastered to her face.

"I don't think so," answered Mitsuba as she twisted her long, blond hair up into a bun. "We'd have to check with Yoichi, though."

Kimizuki stood there, pretending to act cool and stoic as usual. Anyone who looked closely, however, would notice he had unbuttoned a couple more buttons of his shirt around the neck than usual. His face looked warm, and he habitually pushed his glasses back up to keep them from sliding all the way down his face with all the moisture coating them.

He looked quite strict without his more docile-looking partner-in-crime by his side.

"Where's Yoichi?" asked Shinoa.

"He had to finish up some things at the office first, but he should be here soon," answered Kimizuki.

"Hm… Got it," said Shinoa. "By the way, how's Mirai?"

"My sister is… doing about the same," answered Kimizuki softly, worry flickering across his face. "She's not getting any better, but she's not getting any worse either."

"Is she still stuck in the hospital?" asked Shinoa sympathetically.

"She is for now, but it's awfully expensive… Without the Hiragi providing a payment plan for me, there'd be no way I could keep up with the medical expenses," he admitted quietly.

Shinoa's expression grew thoughtful. "Kimizuki, are you sure the Hiragi are _helping_ you?"

"Guys, don't look now," interrupted Mitsuba, "but I think Yoichi just got pulled into an alley."

An older teen with spiky brown hair shoved Yoichi against a brick wall. Yoichi was small for his age with a gentle expression, and he had a thick newspaper held between his hands. The teen who cornered him was much larger and far less docile in appearance. He had thick eyebrows with squinty eyes and a pair of sideburns that reached his jaw.

"Hand over everything you've got," demanded the man vaguely as he tightened his grip on the Yoichi's shoulder. Even though Yoichi was only half his size, he wanted to exert his dominance.

"I'm a pacifist," stated Yoichi calmly. "Can't we just talk this out?"

"Don't pretend you don't have any shillings on you," replied the man, refusing to back down. "I can see how nicely you're dressed."

"These are only my work clothes. I work with customers often, so it's important for me to be dressed appropriately. If these clothes were damaged, my employer would become really angry, you know?" said Yoichi sweetly, both attempting to pacify his assailant and to distract him. Thankfully, Yoichi spotted a familiar blond woman approaching, one who looked none too happy to see him pinned against the wall. He masked his relief and kept his eyes locked on the face of the man before him.

"As if I give a shit about your—"

Mitsuba kicked into the man's popliteal fossa, forcing his knees to give out. On cue, Yoichi pushed the man away from him, their combined attacks sending the hoodlum tottering over backward. As he fell, Mitsuba used the opening to loop her arm around his neck and squeezed it tightly, pinching his neck tightly in her cubital fossa and using her other arm to tighten the chokehold.

As he struggled to breathe, he merely squeaked out a few words. "St… Stop… I… I can't…" He was in too much pain and discomfort to enjoy the soft sensation of her ample bosom pressed against his back.

His hands grabbed her arms to try and pry open her hold, but his desperate efforts were all in vain.

"Satoshi Yamanaka," came Shinoa's voice, sounding deeper and more foreboding than usual. "Age seventeen. You live with your mother near the cathedral on Thirty-Second Street. Your father left when you were little, so you don't know much about him. You began hanging out with some hoodlums one year ago and have since demonstrated progressively degenerative behavior."

Yamanaka's face turned red as he struggled, and drool began escaping out the corner of his mouth. Even so, Mitsuba's hold never loosened.

"If you attack one of _mine_ ," whispered Shinoa, standing behind Mitsuba, so Yamanaka couldn't see her face, "then I _will_ become _really angry_ , you know? This is your only warning. If you challenge the Hiragis for a second time, you will be dead before you get a third chance. Understood?"

The man nodded hopelessly as his face turned as red and swollen as a tomato, his wriggling figure becoming increasingly unseemly.

"Excellent!" said Shinoa, clapping her hands together with delight. She gave a pointed look to Yoichi. "Well, then…?"

At her command, Yoichi launched an uppercut into Yamanaka's solar plexus with surprising skill and speed for someone of his size and genial demeanor. Yamanaka fainted, and Mitsuba finally released her chokehold, letting his body drop to the ground without a sliver of compassion.

"Thank you guys so much!" said Yoichi gratefully. "I don't like bullies. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't show up."

Mitsuba snorted. "Yeah, says the one holding a newspaper with two hands. You've got a gun hidden in there, right? Even without us, you would've been fine. There just would've been more clean-up to deal with."

If Yoichi's friends hadn't shown up, then Yamanaka would have avoided being strangled and knocked out. Instead, he would have acquired a bullet through his brain.

"With scum like that," said Shinoa thoughtfully, "there probably wouldn't be much clean up. He would just be pegged as picking a fight with the wrong gang."

"Haha," laughed Yoichi lightly as he stepped over Yamanaka. "Well, that wouldn't exactly be untrue… By the way, do you know _everyone's_ names, Shinoa?"

"Well," bragged Shinoa, "I know a lot about vermin like this. If you need information, then I'm your gal!"

Mitsuba and Shinoa deftly brushed the dirt off Yoichi before the headed to the entrance of the alleyway. Kimizuki stood there, keeping watch for police and nosy passersby. His narrow eyes and irritated expression coupled with the overwhelming heat gave him an intimidating presence. Of course, his pink hair and multiple earrings might have helped in that regard as well, giving him an almost pirate-like air.

The four chatted about pointless things as they made their way to a small park.

"Alriiiiiight!" cheered Shinoa. "I announce the beginning of the fourth session of Team Shinoa, minus Yu!"

Mitsuba rolled her eyes. Kimizuki's expression flattened, and he released a hopeless sigh. Yoichi was the only one who appeared unbothered by Shinoa's sudden, grating enthusiasm.

"Neither Mitsuba nor Kimizuki nor I have received any letters from our dear Yu-chan since he went abroad! How about you, Yoichi?" asked Shinoa cheerfully.

"Ah… Well, truthfully, I got a letter that Yu had sent when he was in Vienna several weeks ago. He said that he was having a lot of fun, and Guren was being a spoiled prick. He had expected to reach Castle Bathory in a few days," answered Yoichi honestly. "I haven't received anything since then, though. Have you heard anything from any of the higher-ups?"

"I pestered Shinya, and he said he was getting letters from Guren at regular intervals," responded Shinoa, her voice and expression becoming serious for once. "He said they had a safe trip in and reached Bathory Castle late on the night of May 5th. He continued sending letters since then and stated that Count Bathory agreed to buy a mansion here in England. He didn't specify where and would be staying at the castle to sort out the details. The most recent letter Shinya received was dated on June 7th. He should receive an update about the count's arrival time and such any day now."

"Are Yuichiro and Guren going to make their return trip with the count?" asked Mitsuba with a perplexed expression. "They've been gone for quite a while just to sign a deed to some land. Did their _other_ business delay their travel? Did Yu say what else they'd be doing on this trip? The business that isn't real estate, anyway."

"Yuichiro never said, but I don't think he was all that concerned. He just appeared excited for a trip across Europe," answered Yoichi with a sympathetic smile. "Even if Guren didn't tell him, Yu might have just not asked. He never worried about those details too much."

"Tut, tut, tut!" Shinoa scolded Yu playfully, even though he was weeks away from them. "That Yu, going on an assignment for who-knows-how-long prior to Mitsuba's grand eighteenth birthday party! He really might not be back in time… Speaking of which, Mitsuba and I can enter the scene easily enough since it's a bash in her name, and I am one of the Hiragi. How are you boys planning to sneak in? Since you're 'unsuitable' as a fiancé candidate according to Mitsuba's rich, posh parents, you might have to become the help or something."

"That's right," said Kimizuki, speaking up. "I was hoping to talk to Guren and see if he could pull some strings and let Yoichi and me be the waiters or something, but we don't even know if he'll be back before the party. Even if he is, most of the preparations will have already been made."

"Hm," muttered Yoichi as he thought. "Why don't we ask Shinya? He's pretty nice and has some influence. Maybe he could find a way to slip us in."

"That is an excellent thought, Yoichi!" praised Shinoa. "Although I'm also a Hiragi, most people don't even know I exist, so Shinya has much more influence than I do. You would genuinely be attending the party to protect Mitsuba as her friends and not to wreck it, so I think he would approve."

They chatted for several minutes longer before planning when to get together again. Kimizuki said he was assigned to transport various goods across England for the next couple weeks while one of the handlers was away on his honeymoon, so he wouldn't be able to meet up with them again for a while.

Before long, the four split up to go their separate ways, looking with hope in their eyes toward the day the five of them would be reunited once again.

They were oblivious to the despair which would soon confront them.

"So," began a vampire wearing heavy makeup and a top hat, "what _exactly_ is this, Esther?" He held a letter in his hands, keeping it at a distance and holding it like it had a foul-smelling odor. The man appeared to be in his thirties. Unlike the vampires at Ferid's estate, this one's appearance was remarkable, not due to his exquisite beauty, but rather due to the combination of his pomp with his shocking sense of style. He had straight, white hair that reached his shoulders. His hairline had been shaved back, from what one could see from under his hat. Likewise, his eyebrows were barren. Thick, black makeup lined his crimson eyes.

He was Lucal Wesker, one of many vampires residing in continental Europe and, more specifically, Paris.

"That is a letter from Count Bathory, my lord. It is quite disdainful for that sod to offer any bounty to _us_ as we are of Lord Lest Karr's faction, the most dauntless of our kind, not of that sadistic bumpkin Bathory," answered a vampire standing at his side. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties and had a full beard of white hair. A pair of bottle-cap, round tinted spectacles rested on his face. Although he appeared to be much older than Lucal Wesker in human years, he was far younger as a vampire. Only the two of them knew whether he wore the spectacles to shield his sensitive eyes from light or if he wore them to hide his obviously inhuman eyes.

He was called Esther Lee, and he acted as Lucal's personal servant. Neither of them was associated with Count Bathory. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although they occasionally had dealings with other vampires, they avoided contacting Ferid Bathory, who was notorious for his eccentric and often strange actions. Although they were not the most ancient of vampires, they only considered themselves to be subservient to one of the vampire lords of England, Lest Karr.

"And what is this _ridiculous_ reward written here?" asked Lucal in a scathing tone.

"The reward is to grant a wish to the vampire who brings this human's head to Bathory. This is most certainly the type of unpredictable and nebulous reward only Bathory would promise," replied Esther, insulting the count at every possibility to please his sire and liege. Although Lucal had only turned him in order to have a servant to serve one as arrogant as himself, Esther was nonetheless grateful for his chance at eternal life.

"Yes," agreed Lucal. "Absolutely absurd. This is something only _that_ whimsical count would come up with. Why offer such a potentially expensive reward when he could easily slaughter this pig on his own? Better yet, he could send one of his servants to do it for him. They wouldn't have any trouble."

"It is undoubtedly one of his filthy games, my lord," said Esther, clearly aware of the count's more infamous characteristics.

"There is one thing that bothers me," continued Lucal, flipping his hair back behind his shoulder. "This pig actually ran off with Bathory's _precious_ Mikaela, yet that louse is _still_ playing games? I'm shocked he has yet to turn Mikaela already. He made it public knowledge that the child belonged to him years ago, and no one was to touch him… Regardless, that child will one day be a young but powerful vampire because of his lineage. Whoever kills this pig may have to face Mikaela's wrath in the future and won't live long enough to enjoy this unspecified 'reward.'"

"What an excellent show of insight you demonstrate, my lord."

"Yes… We won't participate in this little game of his, where winning only leads to one's second death. We shall let the more doltish vampires play to their content, but we will keep our hands clean of this mess. Instead, we shall observe Bathory's movements and notify Lord Karr of his actions. Since he is not using his own servants for this, he is unquestionably keeping them busy with something else, and that is far more worrisome."

"That is excellent judgement, my lord."

Three nights since Mika had been drained, he and Yu remained in Vienna, albeit reluctantly. The condition of Ferid's former prisoner forced them to redraw their plan to travel westward without stopping. Although Yu had diligently checked the train itineraries every day, he had decided to wait before continuing their journey. Much to his chagrin, Mika had been too weak to offer much of an argument.

That ended today.

"Yu," said Mika, his light blue eyes narrowing with his determination, "we need to leave in the morning."

Yu was unpacking their luggage. Although he insisted on staying in Vienna for now, he had still agreed to at least change their hotel each night to throw off their pursuers. He had insisted on paying for a moderately expensive hotel room instead of the sparse and cheap inns they had been relying on, which led Mika to sending him more than one concerned glance. Given their current situation, it was uncertain how much money they would need to reach England and, from there, meet up with the people Yu considered family. It was even less certain whether they would be allowed to survive in England after losing Guren. Hopefully, Shinoa could manage to get leniency for them from the Hiragi and Ichinose Clans.

Yu's argument was that he wanted to sleep in a nice bed for once, but Mika suspected he did it to ensure Mika rested better instead. He wished Yu would stop worrying about him so much. He wasn't some fragile china doll, after all.

"Okay," agreed Yu noncommittally as he straightened up.

Mika watched him skeptically, recalling how Yu had come up with excuse after excuse to prolong their stay in Vienna.

"You know," said Mika softly, "if you really want to go back and get Guren's body, then—"

"Nope!" said Yu, interrupting Mika quickly. "I'm taking you to England first. I've already decided."

"Then, why aren't we heading there now?" asked Mika, watching him closely.

"Um, that is…" Mika watched as Yu's eyebrows knotted together and formed wrinkles between them. "We still have some preparation to do, so we can't leave until we do that."

"You sent the letters, didn't you?"

"I did! I sent one to Shinya and one to Shinoa and one to Yoichi!" exclaimed Yu proudly as he counted each of them on his fingers.

"And you've already gotten us some food," said Mika, turning the conversation back on track.

"Yes!"

"And we already have plenty of ammunition."

"That's… That's right…"

Mika watched as Yu began to squirm uncomfortably, clearly beginning to realize the point Mika was making.

"Then," continued Mika, "what are we waiting for? We've had plenty of rest, Yu. We need to leave as soon as possible."

"I… Mika, you still haven't—"

"I'll be fine," Mika insisted, leaning forward on the edge of the bed he was sitting on. Truthfully, Ferid had drained him more than ever before, making him feel even weaker than he had when he'd been fed on two nights in a row. Considering that Ferid was normally less physically aggressive and more emotionally violent, Mika believed this severe anemia could be considered part of his punishment for running away. What made him so disconcerted was that he didn't know what the _other_ component of the punishment was. Mere anemia was far too mild a penalty for Mika's escape. Ferid would usually find some way to turn Mika's allies against him or else literally rip said allies into pieces before his eyes.

There was always the chance Ferid would order Mika to kill Yu himself. Although he hadn't made Mika do such a thing in the past, things were different now…

Considering how Mika had committed the unforgivable sin of not only making an ally but making a _friend_ , there was no way this could end peacefully. The shocker was that his friend was still in one piece, but there was no way Mika would believe that Ferid was done with them. Yu had already stated the vampire had paid them a visit, but he had let them go. Yu remained tight-lipped about that encounter and had yet to say _why_ Ferid let them be. As fickle and unpredictable as Ferid appeared to be at first glance, he never did anything without a reason

"Mika, you look like you're _half-dead!_ " snapped Yu, sounding frustrated but finally being honest. His green eyes focused on Mika, filled with both irritation and worry. "You're really, _really_ pale. Whenever you take a few steps, you start breathing hard. Just by the time we walked up to the hotel room, you were panting like you ran a marathon! Your fingers are cold, even though it's so hot outside. You easily sleep more than twelve hours a day when I don't wake you. I mean, I get that you don't actually have an illness anymore and everything is that bastard's fault, but it looks like he really took _a lot_ of your blood this time. Heck, you actually passed out when you got up that first morning!"

"I haven't fainted since then," replied Mika quickly.

"No, but you look like you're going to at any minute! How can we travel when you're clearly sick? As long as we just stay here and wait for you to recover—"

"And how are we going to fend them off, night after night? There is more than one or two of them out there, Yu."

"It's fine as long as they don't find us."

"They will find me," stated Mika simply. Yu shot him a questioning gaze with a frown, but Mika was still restricted from explaining the abilities of the vampires. He glanced down, feeling guilty for being so inept.

"I'll keep watch," said Yu, walking over to Mika and gently grasping his cold, clammy fingers. The human warmth freed Mika from the chill and put him at ease. "I'll protect you, so just… let me."

Mika glanced up at Yu. Yu had an awkward expression composed of a curious mixture of yearning, hesitation, and concern. His eyes kept glancing at Mika's lips, his neck, and their entwined fingers. He was looking anywhere but at Mika's eyes. Mika watched him. After a moment, he finally closed his eyes and then opened them. The hesitation from before had vanished and was replaced with resolve.

Yu placed his forehead against Mika's.

"I'm going to protect you, so believe in me," stated Yu as if it were a fact and staring Mika in the eyes.

He was too close. Uncomfortably close. Mika grew nervous before staring Yu right back in the eye and returning a question to him.

"How can you protect me if you're dead?" asked Mika pragmatically.

"I won't die," said Yu, pulling his face away and straightening his posture.

Mika sighed. "Are you a prophet? Yu, life isn't that easy to predict. A little traveling won't kill me, but staying here might… I feel much better," he added after a pause. "I think I've recovered drastically already," he lied.

At that, Yu's face lit up. "You're feeling better?"

"Yes," said Mika, continuing the lie with an apathetic expression. "I feel much better, so let's leave with the first train tomorrow."

"Fine, Mika, fine," grumbled Yu. Even though he consented, he didn't sound too happy. "You win. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Even though Mika "won" the argument, he couldn't smile. It was his fault Guren, Sayuri, and Akane had died. If Yu also died because of him, then how could he ever forgive himself for his ever-growing number of sins? If he put Yu at risk, then Mika felt he was better separating from Yu… or dying. Whichever came first. If Ferid kept draining him so much, then the latter option was not unlikely.

"By the way," asked Mika, changing the topic, "did Guren leave anything else for you? We have his bags, but I don't remember taking the time to look through them."

"Oh, I dunno… I only got some money. I know there are some guns and ammunition in there," answered Yu thoughtfully.

"Do you know why Guren stayed at the castle for so long? Was it really for a real estate deal?" asked Mika pointedly.

"I think part of it was. Real estate deals don't usually take that long, though. Neither do weapon deals."

"Maybe something in his luggage will say what else he was doing there."

"Okay. Anything important will be written in Japanese. I'll look through things tonight," said Yu, clearly indicated he planned to keep his word and maintain watch instead of resting after all.

"Good. I will just go on to sleep," said Mika, his sheer, mind-numbing exhaustion becoming more apparent, even though he had already slept so much and was desperate to cover it up. He prayed that Yu would really leave with him in the morning. If not, Mika could not bear to slow Yu's escape any longer. If Mika had to run away from Yu to give him the freedom he deserved, then so be it.


	19. 23 June 1897, Dawn

23 June 1897, Dawn.

The next morning, Mika awoke to the sound of Yu shuffling through papers. He still felt exhausted and lightheaded from the draining, and he could feel his heart racing as much as it could to make up for the loss in blood volume. Even so, he kept his complaints silent, enduring the sore ache of his muscles and constant fatigue. He had already struggled for a few days to convince Yu they needed to move on, but he was still overtly reluctant to do so. Mika didn't want to risk Yu changing his mind.

Mika sat up slowly, letting the room swim into an upright and steady position before he moved to the edge of the bed. He blinked sleep from his eyes as he watched Yu. Since they had upgraded to a better room, they now had a desk, and Yu, the person least likely to be interested in scholarly activities, was apparently making use of it.

When Mika got his groggy eyes to focus a bit better, he noticed Yu was reading a notebook.

Mika carefully looked over the room, checking for any more signs of a vampire invading. Although Yu was keeping hush-hush about Ferid's most recent visit, Ferid had let Mika stay with Yu and had even let Yu live. Considering the fact Mika was far more familiar with the count than he'd like to be, he knew some of the count's habits. First of all, any human who interacted with Mika in a friendly manner would be killed, usually violently. Since Yu was alive, this could mean that Yu himself had vile plans for Mika, which the count would take advantage of when he resumed teaching Mika to hate humans. Otherwise, this only meant that the count was postponing Yu's execution. Although Mika wouldn't be surprised if Yu betrayed him at some point, he doubted Yu was capable of scheming something so secretive and nasty, which led him to conclude that the count was planning to kill off Yu later. But _why? What was he waiting for?_

The window was open to allow a fresh breeze in this stifling summer heat, but rain sprinkled outside. The window frame was intact, and there were no signs of damage to any of the furniture in the room. The door and its knob appeared unharmed at first glance. Both of the rifles and the revolver were in the same locations they had been in last night, implying they had either gone unused or that Yu had put them in the exact same positions after using them. Since no one had come to kick them out for shooting a gun indoors, and Mika honestly suspected even his condition wouldn't allow him to sleep through the sounds of gunfire, he believed the guns had gone untouched through the night.

This meant no vampire had bothered them. But _why?_ What was Ferid playing at when he could literally peel off Yu's skin and tear chunks out of his flesh until he begged for mercy?

The count was extremely playful, so Mika assumed he and Yu were board pieces trapped in a game of survival. Since it was a "game," that implied there was at least a very slim hope they would survive. It also implied there were some rules, but how was Mika supposed to make sure Yu survived when Yu didn't share those rules with him?

Was Yu keeping silent because he didn't trust Mika or because he didn't want to worry him? For some reason, Mika felt like the second option was more likely.

He glowered slightly at his companion before sighing.

"Yu," said Mika, his voice hoarse from sleep, "what are you reading?"

"Oh? Hm… This is… a notebook Guren had been writing in a lot after we arrived in the castle. It came with another book," said Yu, gesturing to a dark brown leather tome lying abandoned at the upper left corner of the desk. He was so focused on the notebook at hand that he didn't even look up at Mika. "I don't know what language it's in, but it's definitely not English, German, or Japanese. I can't read a lick of it, but it has some nice illustrations. Guren read it during our trip."

Yu stopped there. Mika waited impatiently as he tilted his head. "And?" he prodded, glancing at the notebook Yu was reading. "What did he write in the notebook?"

"He wrote… things about vampires," said Yu softly. "It says he doesn't know how they're born, but several myths describe possibilities about where they came from!" added Yu with more excitement. "One says they're born from black eggs. Another says they originated from when a blood-loving spirit entered a mortal's body and transformed them. There is a third one, which states that a vampire is created when an animal, usually a dog or cat, jumps over a corpse. There is also one that says anyone who becomes a vampire made a deal with the Devil in exchange for one's soul. In that case, it theorizes that holy objects from Christianity, like crosses and stuff, can fend them off—"

Although Yu was speaking non-stop, Mika knew he honestly didn't give a damn about the origin of vampires; Yu had only been interested in killing them up until now, which meant he was trying to distract Mika from something. Mika frowned.

"Yu," he stated darkly as he urged Yu to stop rambling. Did he really think Mika wouldn't notice the most important key detail here? "You're saying that Guren wrote all of these details about vampires down for you to read. He didn't write any of those things while we were hiking or when we were talking with Sayuri. You realize that meant he was _researching_ those filthy bloodsuckers long before you even met Sayuri, right? When was the first time you heard about them?"

Yu remained silent for a long moment. "That night was the first time I heard about them," he confessed, slowly opening his mouth and speaking just above a whisper.

"You said he was reading the other book while you were traveling to Transylvania. In other words, you're implying that Guren knew or at least had an inkling of the count's true nature during your travels, right? Did he pick that book up along the way, or did he have it from the start? …Yu?"

"He… He was already reading it before we even left England. I think he brought it with him," acquiesced Yu hesitantly. He avoided looking at Mika.

"In that case, doesn't that mean Guren already had an inkling, if he didn't know anything for certain, of what monsters lurked here the entire time? Yu, _why_ did Guren—"

"Guren wasn't like that!" shouted Yu, abruptly slamming his hands against the desk and standing up. "Guren was always careful! Always cautious! Even if he's a jerk, he always valued his teammates and tried his damnedest to make sure they came back alive! He wouldn't just—just lead us straight into a vampires' den like we're going on some picnic! He wouldn't do something so risky, especially if he endangered someone else's life!"

Mika let silence hang heavily in the air before he tried to bring up a detail that now seemed obvious in retrospect. "Yu, when we were getting the horses ready in the village after Sayuri was killed, Guren took up the more dangerous role of keeping watch. Once we left the stable, all we saw were Guren and Ferid fighting. Is it possible that the two of them made a deal in private?"

"Guren wasn't a traitor," stated Yu adamantly, turning around and staring Mika in the eye. "He'd never let a comrade die in vain."

"Right. Exactly. He didn't let _you_ die… Speaking of which, Yu," asked Mika, narrowing his eyes at his stubbornly loyal friend and matching his stare without backing down, "why aren't you dead yet?"

"Huh?" Yu's expression grew puzzled.

"Ferid _hates_ it when I become close to anyone. As you've seen, he kills them off as violently as he can or else turns them against me. In that case, _why_ are you alive? Did _you_ make a deal with him?"

"Of course not!"

"Then, did Guren?"

"There is no… way…" mumbled Yu, looking away, growing uncertain.

"Yu," continued Mika, "I'm not sure what other secrets you're keeping from me, and I believe you have your reasons for keeping them."

"I'm not—"

"You _are_ ," stated Mika, leaving no room for discussion. "I don't mind. However, I will strongly advise you to not put so much blind trust in that man who raised you. There is something not kosher about all this."

"Guren wasn't like that," argued Yu, repeating the same statement from before.

Mika glared at him, bearing his teeth has he grew angry. There was one obvious conclusion here, so why was Yu refusing to see it?

"Are you thinking with your head or with your heart?" he snapped. "Facts are what they are, and Guren knew about the monsters before he ever even arrived. He stayed there for several weeks, much longer than it would take to sell some land. What was he doing there? Why did he stay in a den full of monsters so long, so willingly? Yu, he obviously—"

"That's enough!" shouted Yu suddenly. "You're asking too many questions! Guren was a good man! He picked me off the streets, saved me! He gave a job, food, and shelter! Heck, he even took me on a trip across Europe! He was a _good man_ , and I don't care what he went to Transylvania for! It doesn't make any difference!"

Yu's eyes were watery with both rage and hurt. His face was red, as if he were either about to get into a fight or bawl his eyes out.

Mika restrained himself from arguing and nibbled lightly on his lip instead. He looked away, feeling guilty for accusing Yu's mentor. That said, Guren voluntarily heading into that hell was the only reasonable conclusion Mika could think of. In that case, why did he take Yu along? If he really cared about Yu, would he have brought him there at all? Was it really just because Yu was so excited about traveling across Europe?

Mika shook his head as if to shake away his innumerable questions.

"I'm going to take a shower," stated Mika before leaving to shower on his own. Yu didn't reply.

An hour later, the two were clean and dressed. During the days Yu had forced Mika to rest, he bought some more clothes and washed the ones they owned, meaning the two boys were fairly presentable for the first time on their journey to England. More importantly, there would be no suspicious powder burns or bloodstains, which would provoke awkward questions from the authorities.

After reading Guren's notes, Yu found the rosary Guren had handed him before they reached the castle. It had been buried, long and forgotten, deep within one of his pockets. Even if there were only a chance it could repel a vampire, Yu wanted that chance. Yu thought about making Mika wear it, but he felt as if a firm wall had been erected between them; in the end, Yu couldn't gather the will to ask him.

He believed it was around six in the morning, but it was hard to tell if the sun was up yet with the heavy clouds and drizzle coming down. They wore their hats to at least keep their hair dry, and they pulled the brims over their faces to make it a touch harder for any vampires or their servants to identify them.

The two of them had spoken minimally after having that argument about Guren, and Mika insisted on carrying his own bags, even though he looked like he could topple over at any moment and was likely to land both him and his luggage in a puddle.

Mika had moved to walking in front of Yu. Yu didn't know if it were because Mika was sick of looking at Yu's face after their argument, or if he was just impatient to leave.

The first train was scheduled to depart at 6:40 a.m., and even Mika, who was so obviously exhausted, insisted on leaving as soon as possible instead of getting the rest he clearly needed. As much as Yu wanted to scold him, he wasn't much better himself. Since Ferid had shown up that one night, Yu had mostly stayed awake and on guard at night. Fortunately, Mika was so drained, he fell asleep as soon as he lied down, so he probably hadn't noticed that Yu was only getting sleep through cat-naps during the day. Last night, he had stayed awake reading through Guren's notes again and again and again.

Mika couldn't be right about Guren willfully leading them into a den of monsters, could he? He always had a plan, but sometimes he had a foolhardy and reckless streak that peeked out from time to time, especially when his friends were in danger. Surely, Guren hadn't struck a deal with the Devil just to let Yu live a little longer, had he?

Yu grimaced, deep in thought.

He didn't like to think too hard about it, but Mika's questions weren't unreasonable. Guren had always been cunning.

 _Stupid Guren_ , thought Yu to himself. _If you had to die in order to let me live, I will never forgive you. I wanted to survive_ with _you, you moron! If it was going to be like this, then I would have wanted you to survive yourself! If it was going to be like this, then why did we spend so long with Sayuri? You already knew a lot about the vampires and the dangers. We could have made it out of there. Heck, we were already in the castle, so we could have destroyed the beasts in their den! Why didn't you bring more explosives, Guren?!_

Of course, his questions would never be answered.

 _Why did you take me with you to Transylvania, Guren?_

The only answer Yu received was the continued drizzle of rain.

Yu sighed, blinking wearily at his tired reflection in the puddles growing on the brick road. When Yu looked up, he realized he had lost sight of Mika. His heart was shot with fear and dread before he recalled how Sayuri said the vampires only came out at night. Guren's notes agreed with that observation, too. He breathed deeply, forcing himself to calm down. He sighed.

Had Mika left him behind for being so unreliable? Did Mika believe Yu couldn't protect him?

And so, for the umpteenth time that morning, Yu sighed.

He quickened his pace as he headed toward the train station. He had walked enough since their arrival to learn the area well enough, and Mika had said the count had taken him here several times before. As long as he walked fast enough, both he and Mika would arrive at the same place without any difficulties.

That is, unless Mika left to foolishly surrendered himself to the count in exchange for Yu's freedom, which was something Mika had asked Yu about more than once.

Suddenly, Yu urged his weary body to run.

He glanced across the streets and at the beautiful architecture without taking any time to enjoy it. Guren had shown him around the city when they stopped here briefly before, but there was no time for such a luxury now.

Yu ran as he looked for his friend. He thought he saw a flash of blond hair peak out from under the hat of a man as he turned the corner. Even more than that, the unbearably lonely atmosphere of the man gave Yu the strong impression that he had finally found the person he was searching for.

His heart gave a leap as he called out.

"Mi—"

A heavy weight suddenly slammed Yu against the ground before he could even cry out Mika's name.

Yu's face slammed against the brick road, and he tasted blood.

NOTES: Anyone notice the Anne Rice references?


	20. 23 June 1897, Morning

23 June 1987, Morning.

Yu grunted as the world wavered around him, as if he were on a ship at sea during a raging storm. Something massive was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. His lip was split, and his tongue hurt, clearly warning him how hard he bit it. Fortunately, he didn't feel any broken teeth, and his tongue was still intact.

His face stung. His right cheek and chin were covered in a sticky wetness, which he suspected was blood. He had reacted quickly enough to turn his face to the side before his head met the ground, so he didn't believe his nose was broken at least.

Yu groaned. His hands scrambled helplessly against the wet brick ground as he vainly tried to pull himself free.

The mass on him was so heavy, he wouldn't be surprised if his internal organs ruptured. He had a hell of a time simply trying to breathe.

As Yu raised his head to get his bearings, a large hand clamped down on the back of Yu's neck. It slammed his face back into the wet brick road, making him grunt. If he had the breath to spare, he would have cried out.

This attack was clearly intentional. He felt extremely grateful he had gotten separated from Mika. After all, how would he protect Mika when he was too busy trying to save himself?

"You pathetic human rabble," growled the voice above Yu in German. "How dare you challenge Count Bathory and steal his belongings? I, Mel Stefano, shall reclaim his honor."

Now that Yu was thinking more clearly, he realized the mass on top of him was a morbidly obese man… No, he was too strong to be a man. Was he a vampire? A vampire out during the day? Did Yu just get body-slammed by the fattest vampire he'd ever come across?

And, even if this was only a minor detail, what was this about Ferid having honor? Did he actually _have_ any honor to speak of?

When Yu realized this was part of the hunt Ferid had mention, he struggled harder to try and grab his gun. Unfortunately, his bags were trapped under the man's trunk-like legs. Instead, Yu bet everything he had and reached for the rosary around his neck instead.

The vampire scoffed at him, grabbing the rosary with his bare hands and breaking it. He was utterly unharmed, and Yu became painfully aware, both figuratively and literally, that the religious theories Guren described about vampires were utter nonsense.

The malevolent mass atop him leaned forward, and Yu could literally feel his joints cracking under the indignant vampire's preposterous, dangerous girth. Mel Stefano's breath brushed against Yu's neck, making him cringe and squirm more.

Trying to catch sight of his assailant, Yu looked at his reflection in a puddle.

Or, rather, the reflection of the vampire's clothes.

The reflection of the vampire himself never appeared in the water, so it looked like his clothes were floating about and moving on their own. His hat was levitating above his waistcoat like an exclamation point. Yu suddenly realized why Mika insisted on taking that mirror along. Unfortunately, such a revelation was too late to save him now.

The vampire's fangs tore through his skin and sank deeply in his neck, distracting Yu from his reverie and making him go still.

Yu grimaced as the pain hit him, and he vainly stretched out his fingers to grasp any weapon he could.

Before he could even stretch his arm out all the way, he was overwhelmed by something he had never expected nor read about: an unyielding, unnatural, horrific pleasure that blew all his thoughts from his mind and aroused him in ways he never expected from an undead monster. His muscles slackened, and he felt limp as the strength drained from his body.

Yu felt his breath hitch as his heart raced, and he wanted to melt into the vampire's embrace. He felt the large man's moist lips and tongue delightedly slurp away the blood pouring out of his skin, and it felt good. Very good. Even though Yu was gay, he didn't believe he should feel quite _that_ good about someone literally drinking the life from him. He had had sex before. Although sex was different, this still felt just as—

 _Focus! You're dying! Wake up!_ thought Yu to himself, abruptly stopping the moans that were trying to escape from his throat. He wanted nothing more than to let this thing continue to pierce and drink from him, but he knew that made no sense.

Honestly, it wasn't hard for him to let go and indulge himself in this fate. As far as deaths went, aside from the whole _dying_ part, this one felt pretty nice.

But if he surrendered, then what would happen to his friends? To Mika?

While he tried to figure out whether he should indulge this fatal pleasure or waste his energy trying to break free, several cloves of garlic spilled on the wet ground near his head, making Yu wince at the sudden, pungent odor. Shockingly, it made the immortal monster withdraw his teeth and gag.

Yu yearned for those fangs to enter him once again but decided to remain silent and on the ground before he did something stupid. He gasped, catching his breath as that wicked euphoria finally began fading away, and the world came into focus.

A loud _bang_ shot through the air, and Yu heard it the bullet hit flesh. The sound of deathly gurgling not unlike Sayuri's death throes came out behind him.

Yu lifted his head to see a figure crouching near a trash can. That figure was rapidly reloading the rifle, although he seemed a bit tired and out of breath. He had lovely blonde hair damped by the sprinkling rain coming down around them, and his carpetbag was abandoned on the ground.

It was Mikaela. Mikaela had come back for him, looking as heart-breakingly beautiful as ever.

He was sick.

He was weak.

He was still out of breath and severely anemic.

But, all the same, he was _here_.

Yu realized he was staring at Mika as if in a trance, so he quickly looked behind him to see what Mel Stefano was doing. The vampire was missing half of his neck and clutching at it desperately. Dark red blood, darker than what Yu had seen spill out of humans time and time again, dripped sluggishly from the gaping wound. Even so, this creature wasn't dead and only appeared pissed off.

Another shot rang through the air.

Yu's eyes grew wide as the several of the fat vampire's fingers were blown off along with most of his neck. He was covered in so much gore, Yu could only tell the vampire's head was still attached because it fell back with rest of his body.

Now that the monster's rotund figure had rolled back, Yu's hips were finally free. He struggled out from under the monster's weight and clambered over to Mika. He was only able to free one of his bags from the heavy vampire, quickly deciding to abandon the other one. He was out of breath and lightheaded, which he attributed to being bitten and drained. As soon as he reached Mika's side, he dropped to his knees. Considering he was already soaked and filthy from the rain water and the street, it wasn't like he could get much dirtier. He also suspected his back was covered in vampire guts.

Mika was already reloading while panting heavily.

Unlike the two boys, who were clearly not in good condition but surviving all the same, the vampire lay twitching helplessly in the alley, unable to move as his neck slowly regenerated. Mika had shot through its vertebrae.

Walking up right next to the powerless vampire, Mika aimed his rifle one final time at very close range.

As he pulled the trigger once more, Mel Stefano's head was finally blown free. It bounced once against the ground and then rolled down the filthy alleyway.

Mika remained standing, although he was wobbly on his feet and appeared as if the slightest breeze would send him toppling over. His face was ghastly white, and he was obviously winded. When he had told Yu he was feeling better, he had obviously lied. Yu wasn't sure just how powerful an adrenaline rush Mika had had to do this much, but he clearly couldn't do much more.

Fortunately, it didn't look like he would have to.

Yu stood up slowly, feeling the world sway around him. He didn't know if a vampire could get up after that, but, if it could, he and Mika had to run. Religious artifacts were useless against them, and the only other thing Guren's notes mentioned about killing them was a "stake through the heart." Although they were great for setting up tents or burning people during witch hunts, Yu was pretty sure he didn't have one.

Then, before Yu's very eyes, the morbidly obese vampire began to shrink like a balloon losing air.

Yu's eyes widened. His eyebrows came together in confusion. The vampire's clothing grew more and more wrinkled and it soon laid against the filthy, wet ground. Confused, Yu hobbled over, only now noticing his left hip and leg were sore. He had probably gotten hurt when the vampire jumped him.

Yu stood next to Mika and watched as gray ash poured out of the collar of the vampire's shirt. He looked at where Mel Stefano's head had rolled. At that remained there at this point was a pile of muddy ash.

As Yu examined the vampire's remains, he asked, "So… they become ash when they die?"

Mika only panted in response. When Yu looked up at him in concern, Mika only nodded his head. Mika unsteadily turned and stepped toward the alley's exit before his legs gave way, and Yu caught him.

Yu felt awful from being drained, but it looked like Mel Stefano hadn't had the chance to drain him as much as Ferid had Mika.

Yu held Mika up until the gasping, flaxen-haired youth caught his breath and straightened his legs. Although he wanted to embrace Mika, he didn't hold him too close since Yu himself was already quite filthy. Instead, he resigned himself to gazing at Mika thoughtfully. He looked beautiful with rain drops dripping from his hat. His crystal-blue eyes seemed to bring life to the dull, wet world around them. It was as if everything were a backdrop to enhance his appeal. His soft lips were parted, and Yu resisted the urge to kiss them.

Mika appeared so frail yet so unyielding all at once, Yu wasn't sure how to respond.

He did, unfortunately, notice that his pants had become uncomfortably tight since that vampire had used him for a chew toy. Clearly, the biting had affected him in ways other than making him go limp and causing him to have anemia. The notes never mentioned the drug-like euphoric feeling that biting triggered. He blushed, keeping his legs stiff and hoping Mika wouldn't notice.

…Despite his train of thought, part of him wanted Mika to notice, so he could have an excuse to do the things to Mika that he had dreamed of doing to him back at the castle.

Yu remained silent as he thought. If being bitten by a vampire felt _that_ good, then it was no surprise why the villagers didn't try harder to rebel. And, to think, Mika had been bitten by the count pretty frequently…

Mika _had_ been bitten by the count frequently. Isn't that what Sayuri had said?

A cold expression suddenly replaced the embarrassed one on Yu's face. It made the scrapes along his cheek and jaw sting.

 _Ferid had been biting Mika… a lot._

Ferid had been making Mika feel like _that_ , against his will, _a lot_. He had been doing _that_ to this sweet Mikaela, whom he had imprisoned and isolated for many years. The connection cycled like a loop in Yu's mind, increasing his anger and possessiveness with each turn of its cycle.

At this realization, Yu's grip on Mika's arms tightened. His gaze hardened as a new murderous rage filled him.

Mika only looked at him with puzzlement, but he remained silent, letting Yu think.

Yu had vowed to protect Mika. Yet, back at the castle, it was Mika who risked everything to get him out. Even after that, Mika kept trying to sacrifice himself to protect Yu. Back at the Golden Krone Hotel, it was Mika who had led them to the stables and gotten the horses ready. It had also been him who had dragged Yu to safety and from town to town. It was Mika's motivation and persuasion that kept them moving and kept them alive. Sure, Yu had assisted Guren in fighting against Chess, the perky female vampire, but that was mostly Guren's doing.

No, even before all of that… Even before Mika had become Yu's friend, had he not tried to convince Yu to leave by being rude, so he would never have to face these monstrous vampires in their true form? Had he not redirected Chess when she suddenly appeared after Yu cut himself in the kitchen? Now that, Yu thought about it, that was the night before Mika's anemia suddenly worsened. That night, had Mika—

"Hey, Mika," began Yu abruptly, "the night I was helping you cook in the kitchen and cut myself, you were patching me up in the bathroom before Chess arrived. After that, you left with her, and… the next day, you were really sick…" Yu looked up at his friend. "That night, did you offer your blood for mine?"

Mika glanced away before giving a nearly imperceptible nod.

Yu clenched his jaw. All this time, Mika had protected Yu, and Yu had done nothing for him. No, even more than that, Mika had _sacrificed_ himself for Yu. How many times did this happen? How many exchanges did Mika make with those monsters to keep Yu and Guren safe?

"Mika," said Yu, his green eyes glittering with determination as he gazed into the eyes of someone he now considered to be one of his most dear friends, "I will definitely save you."

Mika blinked with surprise. A moment later, his face relaxed. He chuckled lightly and pressed his dry forehead to Yu's wet one. His hat fell to the wet ground.

Mika opened his eyes, gazing deeply into Yu's. Time around them seemed to stop, and so did Yu's breathing. He felt like his heart might beat right out of his throat. His mouth grew dry.

Mika's hand, chilly from both anemia and the rain, cupped Yu's cheek.

"Don't you realize?" came his voice as light as a whisper, soft and gentle like the brush of a feather. Although he still appeared breathless and exhausted, his light blue eyes had an enchanting twinkle to them. Yu's ears ached to hear more. He trembled with anticipation. "You've already saved me."

With that, Mika stepped away and picked up his hat. He slowly walked toward the direction of the train station.

It was only when Yu became so lightheaded he thought he might pass out that he realized he had been holding his breath. His face was bright red with lust, and all thoughts about the battle and their plans had been completely blown out of his mind. Those light touches had made Yu far more excited than the vampire's bite ever had.

Since Mika had touched him so intimately, even it was only his face, did that mean he was giving Yu permission to pursue him romantically? That meant it was okay, right? Of course, if Yu had an amorous relationship with Mika, he was sure the count would stop at nothing to give him a painful death. He figured the count would do something like slowly amputate his appendages one by one and then keep shaving off his meat until he finally bled out and died or else crucify him or do something equally horrific. Even so, Yu's loins still felt like they were on fire. Honestly, if Mika weren't so weak from anemia, Yu thought he would have jumped him in the alley right then and there.

Why had Mika stopped at merely touching his face? He was so close, why didn't he just kiss him?

Yu wanted a kiss. And some other things.

"Yu?" called Mika's voice from a distance.

Yu snapped out of his daydream and quickly picked up his bags from the ground, nearly falling over from dizziness in the process. In all the exhilaration, he had forgotten that he himself was a little anemic at the moment.

"Coming!" he cried, racing after Mika.

He hoped the walk would cool his loins.

After several minutes, they reached the train station. This time, Mika bought the tickets and asked about the location of the restroom. He gestured to Yu and said something about falling. Yu couldn't translate the other words, but he assumed Mika said something about Yu falling in the mud on the way here or something to that effect.

The pair of ticket-sellers looked Yu up and down with a frown.

Yu was clearly filthy from rain water, mud, and whatever other garbage had been lying in the alley that he had been careful to not look at too closely before. Not to mention, he was sure he had more than his fair share of vampire… ash on his back. He couldn't blame the staff for not wanting such a mucky person sitting on their train.

One of the staff members gestured to the restroom, and Yu headed there.

He washed himself off in the sink and changed into a fresh set of clothes from his luggage.

When he walked out, he saw Mika sitting at one of the benches and waiting for him. Yu smiled. Surprisingly, their fight against Mel Stefano had only taken a few minutes, even though Yu was fairly certain it had shaved a few _years_ off his life, so they weren't late for the first train. Once they had embarked, Yu sat as close to Mika as he dared. He wanted to climb on top of Mika's lap and engage him in the type of exercise usually conducted in one's bedroom, but he resigned himself to sitting with his thigh against Mika's instead.

Even so, his expression was full of disappointment until Mika sneakily grabbed one of Yu's hands in his own. Mika curled his finger around Yu's, smiling gently, and making Yu relax.

Yu smiled, gazing at Mika until Mika looked away with something Yu decided was unmistakably a blush on his cheeks.

 _I really want to ravish him_ , thought Yu, subtly licking his lips before looking away. He pointedly crossed his legs.

"Hey, Mika," said Yu, trying to reign in his sexual desire before he did something that got them kicked off the train.

"Hm?"

"Teach me German."

"Huh?" asked Mika, turning to look at him.

"Back in the cities, I was able to get by with what I know. But, at the castle, I just had to guess my way through things or wait for someone to speak in English. When we spoke with Sayuri, I had to wait for Guren to interpret everything for me, and I'm pretty sure he left some stuff out. If I had been able to understand her words, maybe we would've been able to move faster. More and more of those… people," continued Yu, wary of his words in public, "will continue to come after us. I can't keep going on as I have so far. I never took studying seriously, and Guren always said I would regret it if we got separated… He was right. I think if learning German can make me understand a bit more and react a little bit faster, then I think our chances will be better. Mika, will you—"

"Of course," answered Mika before Yu could finish. He smiled serenely. "I will do anything I can to keep you safe."

Yu blushed before he realizing what Mika said.

"Hey!" said Yu, turning redder. "I said, _I'm_ going to be the one to save _you_ , damnit!"

Mika only chuckled and looked away, but the other passengers shot them curious glances as they took their seats.

"They've departed from Vienna," stated Horn, pushing a golden ringlet behind her pointed ear.

Guren self-consciously felt over his own ears. They were pointed like hers. Although he had noticed their pointed tips the first night he woke up as a vampire, he always felt unsettled when he reminded himself he wasn't human anymore. He had yet to fully reconcile his lost humanity with the monster he'd become.

The group of vampires sat at the dining room table. A candelabra was lit at the center of the table. Its faint, flickering light casted their eerily pale features in sharp, terrible relief. They each had a wine glass in front of them, most of which were still full or half-full of blood. Even Lacus and Re _né_ were present. They had mostly worked on the grounds or in the villages, and Guren had never met them until after becoming a vampire. Although they had been vampires for a few decades already, they had yet to develop the ability to change their forms and were considered lesser vampires like him, as far as he understood such matters.

Guren had already downed his glass of blood, even though he had already had plenty of blood earlier that evening. Ferid and Crowley had assured him the thirst would improve with age, but Guren felt as if he were a baby needing milk every few hours.

"Yuichiro tried to send out some letters to his friends in England, but I had the post office staff intercept them," she said, calmly placing three thick envelopes on the table in front of her. Their seals had been broken.

"Mel Stefano took up the bounty, but Mika managed to… shoot his head off," continued Horn, sending a somewhat accusatory glance in Ferid's direction. After all, who was responsible for training Mika to shoot so well?

Ferid only smiled smugly and swirled the blood in his glass. Guren gulped at the sight of it, his cravings quickly returning.

"What is this… bounty?" asked Guren slowly, struggling to rein in his thirst. He was wary about overstepping his bounds.

"Hmph!" snorted the little girl sitting in the chair next to him. She appeared to be about ten- or eleven-years old. Short, dark hair reached her shoulders. Although she was quite beautiful for a child with her innocent appearance and deep eyes, Guren knew her appearance was deceptive. That said, considering how Guren had shot several bullets through her torso and limbs at the Golden Krone Hotel, she looked quite good.

When Guren first became a vampire, one of his tasks was to feed the humans delivered by Crowley to Chess. He sliced their throats and let their blood drain into a tub for her to bathe in while she sucked the blood from the smaller ones. It was a gory scene. Each night, Guren also had to task of cleaning up the messes and feeding the bodies to the wolves.

Although Chess had recovered substantially thanks to Guren's care and Crowley's gifts, she had only recovered enough to regain the form of a child. As part of his punishment, he was not allowed to stop serving Chess and work toward his own objective until she had recovered enough to maintain an adult figure.

Ever since he had attacked her back in the Golden Krone Hotel, she held a grudge against him and sought to humiliate him at every turn. She all-too-willingly ordered him around as a servant, making him do all her cleaning, packing, and other manual labor.

"Since you were so adamant about keeping that brat alive," stated Chess, "the count kindly made a bet with him. Instead of killing him when he could have, Ferid let him escape and offered a bounty for other vampires to chase after and kill him instead. Of course, they aren't allowed to kill Mika, but they're allowed to torture and feed off that other ingrate as much as they please. The one who succeeds gets to ask a boon of the count."

"And what if Yu survives?" asked Guren carefully.

"If Yu survives long enough, then he gets to take Mika to England," she replied simply.

There was a long pause passed by before Guren responded again.

"Did Yuichiro forget the _official_ reason we came here was to sell you real estate in England? Does he not realize all of us are moving there?" asked Guren, blinking. "He realizes we're all headed to England and will be waiting for him once he arrives, right?"

"It'll be a fun game to watch," said Count Bathory, ignoring Guren's questions as he gracefully sipped the blood in his glass. "It looks like Mika managed to win the first match. I thought I drained him too much for that, but he's impressed me once again."

"At any rate," said Crowley, his deep baritone adding a sense of calm to Ferid's sick amusement and Chess's irritation, "we don't have enough time to play around right now. Has the most important luggage been packed yet? We can buy most of our furniture and clothing once we're in England."

"Most of the belongings we're planning to take have been boxed up already," said Lacus, speaking up. He was a fit male vampire who appeared to be in his twenties. He had long, straight gray hair, which was pulled back into a bun with hair clips. He had bangs which framed his face. Unlike the higher-ranking vampires, his clothes were more worn and dirty from use. "They just need to be loaded into the carriages and transferred to the train. It might take a couple of weeks for them to reach England, but we can arrive faster than that if we have to."

A taller male vampire sat beside him but remained silent for most of the conversation. He had shoulder-length black hair with cornrows leading back to a wavy ponytail. His bangs carelessly fell to either side of his face. Despite being a vampire, he had heavy bags under his eyes. Unlike Lacus who appeared to have a playful nature, this vampire came across as more serious and disdainful. He shot condescending glares at Guren whenever the newest addition of their coven spoke up. Guren sensed that Re _né didn't like him, and, frankly, the feeling was mutual_.

"That's good. Using our horses, we can probably get most of the luggage to Vienna tonight," said Crowley. "Considering how we don't need to eat, move, or breathe like humans, those of you who can't transform can just travel with the luggage. Guren, you can use this as a chance to learn how to manipulate and feed from humans without killing them."

Guren nodded. He realized Crowley was being nice by explaining why vampires themselves can easily become luggage. Wouldn't his muscles be sore after being crammed in a box for days, or did that not occur for vampires?

"I suppose Horn, Chess, and I can meet you in Calais, France, in one week and then cross the Dover Straight into Dover together. If we arrive ahead of you, then we'll just wait for your arrival at the location Guren described in the information he gave us about the Hiragi Company," continued Crowley, sending a questioning glance over to Ferid. "How does that sound, Ferid? What do you want to do?"

"That sounds splendid," stated Ferid agreeably. "I suppose I will spend my time before that contacting the rest of our kin and keeping Yuichiro busy. I also want to check up on Mika personally, of course. Given how active he's been, it sounds like he could afford to lose a little more blood… It would be a shame if the two of them reached England before we settled in."

The group of vampires soon wrapped up their discussion. Everyone except Ferid loaded the luggage and began transporting them to a train. Thanks to Crowley's vampiric horses, the coach rides were terrifyingly swift. It only took them two nights to get everything loaded and on its way to England.

Once all the inanimate luggage had be hauled aboard, Lacus, Re _né, and Guren were stuffed into crates and hauled onboard as well._ The good news was that Guren finally got to take a break from Chess. Unfortunately, this "break" involved him being curled up in a box all day until he would, theoretically, use his obscene strength to open the crate and go hunting at night.

Theoretically, that is. Unfortunately, nothing ever went according to theory.


	21. 30 June 1897

_30 June 1897._

 _The first night of their train travel started off awkwardly. Although Guren had superhuman strength, he couldn't budge the lid of the crate concealing him. Considering how easily he'd popped the lid off his coffin when he first awoke as a vampire, it was clear he'd been firmly sealed or buried under something. It was large enough for an adult man to crouch in, but it didn't have much wiggle room. He struggled on his own for several minutes until he heard talking outside around him._

 _Recognizing Lacus and_ Re _né's voices, he called out to them, and they removed the cargo which had been placed on top of his crate. Clearly, their crates hadn't ended up in the same unfortunate predicament as his._

 _"Awww," cooed Lacus with a teasing grin once Guren had finally managed to stand up. "Our poor baby! We even marked his crate as 'fragile,' and he still got stuck!"_

 _Guren glowered at him._ Re _né looked at Lacus but never spared Guren so much as a glance once he had been freed._

 _Unfortunately, as they had chosen a freight train instead of a passenger train, their meals were limited to the crew and the humans near the freight yards._

 _That night, Guren accidentally killed one of the train's crewmembers while drinking his blood. Lacus explained how to bite the vein without injuring the artery in a more condescending tone than necessary while_ Re _né disposed of the corpse. Guren paced for hours as he fought against the raging monster of thirst consuming his thoughts. In the end, he swooped down on an elderly homeless woman resting in a freight yard the train had stopped in for one night. Thanks to the dearth of moonlight, she saw naught but a flash of movement before being overwhelmed by ecstasy as her life faded into oblivion._

 _Embarrassed by his gluttonous behavior, Guren wiped the blood from his mouth as he pretended he did nothing wrong. Both Lacus and_ Re _né each shot him a discerning gaze. In the end, Lacus took his turn to clean up after their "baby," and_ Re _né took the chance to give Guren some pointers._

 _What exactly had_ Re _né's "pointers" consisted of?_

 _"You can bite them anywhere as long as you don't kill them, you dullard," said_ Re _né in a scathing tone. "Even if it's not their necks, wherever is fine as long as they don't die. Even bite them on the feet if you have to."_

 _Guren decided he preferred the silent_ Re _né to the one who gave him "advice."_

 _On the second night, all three of the "fragile" crates had been loaded properly, so Guren was able to get out on his own. Even so, could Lacus let the issue be?_

 _Apparently not._

 _"Aww, our little baby managed to get out of his bed all on his own tonight!" he jeered, nudging_ Re _né with his elbow. "He's almost like a big kid now!"_

 _Although Guren's unstable emotions suddenly gave him the urge to rip Lacus's throat out (as if it would be anything more than a temporary inconvenience to a vampire), he kept them in check and only responded by giving Lacus a flat look, proving that Guren's sense of self-control was growing every night._

 _Unfortunately, the instinct to tear into the supple neck of his prey to satisfy his craving for blood proved to be too strong once again. Later on, Guren lurched toward a young crewmember, sinking his teeth into the boy's neck and drinking him dry. Beginning to feel ashamed, Guren let the lifeless body of a skinny boy fall limply to the ground. He had meant to bite the wrist, so why had he gone for the jugular…?_

 _Cringing from his lack of discipline, Guren refused to look at the undoubtedly accusatory expressions of his two companions._

 _With a sigh, Lacus and_ Re _né dragged Guren along this time to dispose of the corpses. They languidly explained the best ways to do it. Of course, Guren already knew several excellent methods for making sure a corpse was never found or, at least, could never be identified. Even so, he gave in and let the two vampires lecture him anyway—or, at least, let Lacus chatter on and on._ Re _né never seemed to talk much._

 _On the third night, Lacus and_ Re _né left Guren to take care of the corpses on his own. When the train stopped to exchange its goods in a freight yard, Guren leapt off to go hunting. Fortunately, he was of sound mind to at least avoid hunting too closely to the train, so the conductor and other staff might not realize just how many people were dying along their route, even if a few of their crew had gone missing already._

 _On his way back, he noticed Lacus carrying away a body and shot him a questioning look._

 _Lacus shifted his eyes away, hinting at some a nearly forgotten vestige of shame._

 _"It's really hard to stop drinking when they taste so good sometimes, you know?" he mumbled under his breath. Even so, Guren's excellent hearing had been enough to detect his words._

 _Guren's eye twitched. If these experienced vampires still occasionally screwed up and killed their prey, then why were they giving him such a hard time?_

 _He vowed to show the bastards his excellent skills the following night._

 _On the fourth night, Guren managed to drink the blood of another homeless woman, this one much younger than his first, without killing her. When choosing to drink the blood of a man or that of a woman, women appealed far more to him. The erotic moans she made while beneath him excited him and almost made him bite too deeply again, but he managed to exert some self-control in the end unlike the previous woman he'd attacked._

 _Lacus examined her body._

 _"Not bad, not bad! She fainted from the anemia, but she's still breathing! Congratulations! You've left a live one!" said Lacus with a mocking cheer._

 _Guren narrowed his eyes at him, recalling Lacus's demonstration of "self-control" the previous night._

 _Seemingly getting the message Guren was hinting at, Lacus broke eye contact with him and minutely coughed into his fist._

 _"Now then," continued Lacus, returning the conversation to Guren, "you just need to order her to forget everything that happened tonight. She should already be under your control. Even if she breaks free from your command later on, she'll just think this was a dream. You could also make her think she fell asleep early tonight, and that's why she doesn't remember anything."_

 _Leaning next to her ear, Guren gave the following command in a deep voice: "Forget everything that happened tonight. You just had a bad dream."_

 _Lacus snickered._

 _"Well, it might have been a_ _good_ _dream for her. It's not uncommon for people to voluntarily become prey because they enjoy being bitten so much," he said smugly._

 _Guren opted not to think too hard about that statement._

 _On the fifth night, Guren had finally succeeded in hunting on his own. His prey survived._

 _On the sixth night, Lacus and_ Re _né let Guren hunt without supervision._

 _"Our baby's gotten so big," teased Lacus, "that we're actually going to leave him on his own tonight! Let us know if anything happens, okay, Little Guren?"_

 _Guren, once again, managed to suppress his urge to rip Lacus's throat out. He convinced himself it wasn't worth it. Besides, if he attacked Lacus, then wouldn't_ Re _né step in and make it two-against-one? Besides that, Guren's control and elegance with this form might've impressed a human but was quite clumsy when compared to his seniors. In a one-on-one fight, he would only stand a chance by performing an ambush or using advanced weaponry._

 _Unfortunately, he didn't have any grenades on his person._

 _On the seventh night, Guren finally awoke to the refreshing scent of the channel. They had finally, after one very long week, reached Calais, France._

Re _né_ was already up and had opened the door of their covered goods wagon.

 _It was the night of the new moon, making it awfully dark outside for a human if not for the occasional lamps lighting the way in the city. Even so, none of them had any trouble seeing. Guren's eyes were quite relieved by the lack of light, and, for the first time since he became a vampire, he could keep them wide open without any discomfort. He hoped that photosensitivity would continue to diminish over the coming days._

 _Guren inhaled the fresh, moist air, letting it run over his tongue as he stretched his stiff limbs and stepped out of the crate._

 _"Ahem, ahem," came Lacus's muffled voice, calling his companions to attention._

 _Guren looked around him, searching for the origin of the voice._

 _"Even though my crate was marked as 'fragile,' they appeared to have buried me under something," said Lacus, his voice irritated. "Stupid humans. Can't trust them to do their damn jobs right."_

 _Ironically, Lacus found himself in the same situation as Guren had on the first night. A coy smile made Guren's lips curl up with vindictive joy before he realized his self-control over his emotions slipped again, and he bent his smile down into a frown. How could the mighty poker-faced Guren fall into uninhibited chortling at the capricious whims of karma? He had an image to protect, after all._

 _Even so, he couldn't help but feel smug._

 _"In other words," replied Guren cruelly as he walked toward a pile of boxes, crates, and supplies, "you're trapped down below with no way to tease me for being a baby, and_ Re _né and I can finally have a peaceful and quiet night for once."_

 _"Mhm," agreed_ Re _né with a nod of his head._ _"It has already been a week, so the others should be here already._ _We might as well head on over to the city to grab a bite and then proceed from there."_

 _One uneasy pause later, and Lacus boisterously released his opinion on the matter._

 _Several smacking sounds came from inside the crate as Lacus hit it without restraint._

 _"Hey! Hey!" he shouted abruptly. He was trapped hopelessly beneath supplies, and even his vampiric strength was not great enough to heft them off him. Even if he wasn't as gluttonous as Guren, he still liked to drink fresh blood every night. "You can't just leave me here! I'm thirsty, too! Come on! I'd save you if you got stuck in a crate, you know! Have you no sense of loyalty? You miscreants! I even saved Baby Guren once already!"_

 _Lacus continued rambling on for several seconds more, clearly defining himself as the chattiest member of their unfortunate undead trio._

Re _né turned toward Guren and shrugged. A faintly amused smile turned up the corner of his lips. The pair then used their superhuman strength to rearrange the transport goods and finally free Lacus._

 _Once they did so, Lacus sat in his box, legs and arms crossed childishly. He gazed up at them. Although he was pouting, a glimmer of amusement sparkled from his carmine eyes._

 _"That wasn't funny, you guys. It's rude to prank your elders, you know?" complained Lacus, trying his hardest to glare at the other two instead of laughing._

 _"Pranking? Who was pranking?" asked_ Re _né with a serious expression. "This was a matter of grave convenience."_

 _Lacus let his mouth fall open in an exaggerated expression as if he were truly offended._

It seemed like he only ever spoke to ridicule or to scold, but Guren was relieved to not be on the receiving end of his snarky remarks for once. Re _né always gave the impression he didn't like Guren, but Guren came to realize he essentially had that attitude toward anyone who wasn't Lacus. This made him more tolerable._

 _Lacus, the more playful one, was much friendlier toward Guren, making it easier for Guren to cooperate with him. Unfortunately, he had one glaring flaw in his outlook which would prevent him from assisting Guren with his objective: this vampire genuinely viewed humans as livestock and scorned them even more than_ Re _né_ _. Humans were nothing more than pigs or cattle to him, which may be why he occasionally floundered and accidentally killed his prey even after all his years of experience. Although Guren himself had an obscene urge to sink his fangs into their flesh and had certainly killed hundreds when he was human, if not more, for no other reason than greed, he still recalled his origins and his plan._

 _Given their nature, Guren had already determined these two monsters would not help him accomplish his objective, and he needed to extricate himself from their company sometime after arriving in England._

 _Since Guren injured Chess to the point of blowing her body into pieces before, he had a long way to go before he would be allowed much freedom. Looking back now, he still felt conflicted about his decisions. If things had gone as planned, and Yu had obediently separated from Mika as he was told, then he probably would have survived. Although he would have been forced to witness Guren's death in order to give Guren an alibi, he would have been left alone and allowed to live his life as he pleased. Heck, he could even have left the Hiragi if he chose. This far away from England, their influence was limited; escaping from their grasp was not impossible._

 _Instead, Yu chose to do the most unreasonable thing and was glued to Ferid's prided pet like a lover. Worse yet, he insisted on saving that pitiful thing and earning the count's antipathy. Sure, Mika was pretty like a jewel—beautiful to look at but hard and cold. No matter how attractive he was, wasn't survival more important?_

 _Worse yet, Ferid had declared that Mika belonged to him time and time again, antagonizing Yu even further and setting a fire to his mule-headed stubbornness and making him cling onto Mika more than ever._

 _If Yu had parted from that human like he was told, then he would be spared from Ferid's wrath (probably). After all, Guren had already made deals with him… Just once, why couldn't that kid have done as he was told?_

 _If Guren knew Yu would become so attached, then he never would have encouraged him to get to know Mika better. Instead, he would have endured Yu's obnoxious boredom or even sent him away. He originally planned for Yu to receive some protection from Mika once the count's ward became a vampire (Ferid's intentions were obvious to anyone with half a brain), but the costs exceeded the benefits if he instead gained the ire of one of the greatest vampires in this part of the world. It was definitely not worth it. This had quickly become the second greatest regret of Guren's life._

 _If not for the greatest regret in his life, he would never have come chasing after vampires in the first place._

 _Lacus leapt out of the crate, moving and landing with far more grace than Guren. He clearly knew how to use his body well and had adapted to the vampiric changes long ago._

 _Guren glowered in resentment for a moment before relegating his expression to a plain one._

 _He had a lot of work to do to make up for his blunder when he attacked Chess, so he needed to behave himself properly—at least, until they neared London._

 _Lacus stretched merrily and took a moment to straighten out his gray hair and clip it back._

 _"Alrighty, Guren," he said, returning to business. "You know where we're meeting the others, right? Lead the way!"_

 _Thirst scratched the inside of Guren's throat like a relentless infection. Although his mouth was painfully dry, he understood their priorities. He nodded, and soon the three reached the_ _Tour du Guet_ _, a massive watch tower on the_ _Places d'Armes_ _. They chose to meet up here because the tower was large enough to be seen from anywhere in the town. Of course, the vampires could also use the top of the tower as a vantage point._

 _It was no surprise when Crowley, Chess, and Horn suddenly appeared as if melting from the darkness. Thanks to Guren's tender loving care, Chess had now grown to the size of a young teenager, although her figure was still disappointing when compared to the mature shapeliness of her adult form._

 _When Chess made eye contact with Guren, she snorted at him and crossed her arms while looking away._

 _Guren ignored her._

 _"Where's Ferid?" he asked after doing a head count._

 _"Probably stalking Mika," quipped Lacus a second later._

 _"He's stalking Mika," answered Horn and Crowley simultaneously. Horn's expression was annoyed while Crowley's was more sheepish. Chess just appeared tired, and Lacus rolled his eyes._ Re _né just had his usual bored expression with heavy shadows under his eyes._

 _Guren raised an eyebrow. He knew Ferid was…_ _extremely fond_ _of Mika, but just how obsessed had he been to annoy a pack of immortal predators to this degree?_

 _More importantly, just what kind of bizarre love triangle with hellish ghouls had Yu gotten mixed up with?_

 _Guren wasn't sure he really wanted to ask, but, before he could, an unfamiliar person approached the group from the city._

 _He walked slowly, at the pace of a human, letting the street lamps make curious shadows of him across the ground. Although his ears were hidden by his hat and hair, his glittering red eyes clearly identified him as a vampire._

 _He had straight, white hair that brushed his shoulders, a top hat, a cane, and so much pomp in his strut that he practically screamed his being the scion of a noble line. He was at least as gaudy as Guren but a hundred times more arrogant, which, even Guren had to admit, was saying something. Merely looking at him made Guren cringe with immediate dislike._

 _And then, he grimaced when he realized he was still reacting to everything far more than he should._

 _"Good evening. Aren't you lot awfully close to England for a midnight stroll?"_

 _"Good evening, Lucal Wesker," replied Crowley dryly._

"That is _Lord_ Wesker, if you don't mind," said the unfamiliar vampire as he tartly tapped his cane against the street.

Crowley made a noncommittal sound. His lack of enthusiasm was palpable.

"At any rate, this is not the most private location for us to converse," said Lucal, practically carrying a conversation on his own. None of the other vampires appeared happy by his arrival, and they silently let him just keep talking. "Follow me."

Although Crowley appeared as relaxed as usual, Guren noticed the other four vampires were watching the dapper undead more closely than usual. Taking the hint from their behavior, Guren kept his guard up. When the group followed Lucal Wesker, Guren maneuvered his way to the middle of the group, hoping the other bodies would act as buffers for him if a fight broke out. Lucal was clearly as delighted to greet them as they were to be greeted by him, which implied a fight could break out at any moment. Although Guren's strength was far superior to a human's, his skill was comical when compared to these monsters.

"Now, now," began Lucal, turning around at the last streetlamp at the edge of the city and letting it sharply demarcate his silhouette. "Moving such a large group so close to Lord Lest Karr's territory is awfully suspicious, don't you agree? I must ask what _exactly_ you think you're doing."

"We are moving to England. Fer—Ah, Count Bathory has already sent a letter to Lord Karr," answered Crowley slowly.

"Then, why haven't I heard of anything?" asked Lucal venomously.

"Um…" Crowley turned to his comrades. His expression gradually grew more uncertain. "Ferid really wrote that letter, didn't he?"

"Well, this is Ferid we're talking about," muttered Lacus, eyes downcast. "He _is_ awfully fickle."

"He did," answered Horn confidently, crossing her arms under her large bosom. "I mailed it for him."

"Well," said Crowley, turning back toward Lucal, "Ferid wrote the letter and Horn mailed it, so there was definitely at least one letter. I think Ferid also checked with him months ago. In that case, if you didn't hear about it, wasn't that because Lord Karr didn't notify you?"

If Guren's heart had been beating, he was sure it would've stopped then. He felt like his stomach had dropped. Wasn't Crowley being a little too blunt? What if this vampire were as dangerous as Ferid? If that were the case, then did they even stand a chance against him, no matter how many of them there present?

Lucal's scarlet eyes twitched under his top hat, and Guren was now close enough to see that his eyes were lined with heavy dark make-up.

Noticing his stare, the irritated vampire shot his gaze to Guren and looked him up and down.

Icy fear dripped over Guren as he realized he may have offended this vampire. Assuming every vampire he met was stronger than he was, this was not in his favor.

"Nonsense!" snapped Lucal, turning back to Crowley and baring his fangs. "Of _course_ , he would have notified me! I am important to him… Speaking of which, isn't that a _newborn?_ " he asked, pointing a finger accusingly Guren. "You dare enter his territory with a newborn? His eyes haven't even changed yet! Except for the teeth and ears, he looks like that wretched cattle plaguing the streets."

Although feeling quite offended, Guren didn't know what Lucal was talking about, so he kept his mouth shut.

"A vampire's irises turn red about a year or so after the vampirism sets in," said Crowley, kindly answering Guren's unspoken questions. "At just a glance, anyone can tell that they're newborns, and their power is awfully unstable. They often have to drink frequently, sometimes even more than once a night, so they tend to attract a lot of unwanted attention from the humans… Of course, these young ones still closely resemble their original human forms in appearance, so they have an easier time blending in with their human acquaintances than the rest of us."

In other words, Guren's eyes were still violet? Since he could hardly see his faded reflection, he wished someone would have mentioned that detail earlier.

"They are nothing but trouble," stated Lucal scathingly, "and you are planning on bringing one to Lord Karr's doorstep!"

Crowley smiled sadly. "He's a local, so it can't be help—"

Lucal snapped his fingers. "I've had enough of this! Esther!"

Guren noticed something out of the corner of his right eye and turned just in time to see Horn bisect an unfamiliar bearded vampire, her blond curls whipping around her head. Apparently, that bearded man was Esther, and his attack had failed as abruptly as it began. The torso of Horn's would-be assailant fell to the ground with his intestines trailing out behind him. A pair of bottle cap sunglasses fell from his face. His bottom half was lying uselessly against the ground several feet away, and the area was splattered with his thick, dark blood.

Guren turned his gaze back to the man's squirming torso.

Horn stomped one heeled shoe into his back, and Guren heard the crack of bones and rupture of tissue. The bearded vampire coughed blood, but he didn't struggle anymore.

Shifting his line of sight upward, Guren noticed Horn's right arm looked suspiciously like a blade. Although he was not certain, he could swear the limb had grown longer and narrow, turning a metallic gray, and glinting wickedly in the light. He blinked and then saw the metal melt into tissues and shrink as Horn's arm replaced it.

His eyes widened. Just how quickly could she change her shape? Did this mean that vampires could change their forms into more than just animals?

Horn kept her twitching, bisected prisoner pinned and looked to Crowley for instruction.

"So, that's Esther, huh? Shouldn't you take better care of your servants?" asked Crowley seriously.

Lord Wesker looked at them with a flabbergasted expression. His mouth hung open and gaped as if he did not believe what he had seen.

Although Guren had grown numb to gore after his many human years of slaughtering and torturing his enemies, this violent carnage was somehow marked by a beauty he had never experienced when he was alive. If his heart still beat, he would have expected it to _thump_ with anticipation.

If killing vampires was such a delight, then how would using his newfound, and steadily growing, powers to crush humans in battle feel?

Although part of him yearned to experience, another part of him feared it.

What exactly had the realm of vampirism introduced him to?

NOTES: "Covered wagon" is British for "boxcar."


	22. 31 June 1897

31 June 1897.

Lucal Wesker glanced disdainfully at Esther's bisected body lying uselessly on the ground. He shot Crowley and the gang a venomous look and shut his gaping maw.

How dare they harm his servant in such a manner? What gave them that right?!

He was, after all, Lord Lucal Wesker, a loyal vassal to the mighty Lord Lest Karr, and Esther Lee was his humble servant!

"You have _no right_ to judge how I handle my servants!" he hissed at them.

Crowley, the muscular one with mahogany bangs and dark braid trailing down his back, ignored him. Instead, he tilted his head toward the newborn vampire and started talking.

"Lesser vampires have yet to develop the ability to transform," began Crowley as if giving a lecture. "Although their eyes have finally turned red, and they are far more skilled and don't have to drink as much as newborn vampires, they are still considered quite weak when compared to other vampires. When humans go on vampire hunts, they mostly kill newborn vampires or weak ones like these."

That Crowley bastard was giving him no respect, was he? Lucal fumed. And what did he mean by "weak ones like _these_ "? Was he referring to Lucal, Lord of Paris, as _weak?_

Lucal scowled, drawing his sword as rage overwhelmed him.

"Killing them is quite easy. The surest method is to expose them to sunlight, which is something that works on all but the trickiest and eldest of vampires."

Lucal launched himself toward the brawny vampire. Everyone knew Crowley was only Count Bathory's servant, nothing more. He was a pacifist who never stood out and who preferred to talk through their problems instead of fighting over them. Since he was quiet around vampires outside of his group, and few knew anything about him, no one knew how long he had been serving the count. All they knew was that he showed up one day with a pair of powerful vampire women at his sides: Chess Belle and Horn Skuld. Although Crowley had long been suspected to be weak, no one was able to get past his female comrades in order to prove it.

This was why, now that Chess had become smaller and was obviously recovering from serious injuries and Horn was preoccupied with holding down Esther, Crowley was at his most vulnerable.

It was a shame Lucal had to sacrifice such a useful, boot-licking servant to put this bastard in his place, but it couldn't be helped.

Lucal swung his sword.

Suddenly, the world around him turned lopsided.

He blinked, confused, as his head bounced and rolled against the filthy ground.

He struggled to get up but soon realized he couldn't move. His neck burned terribly. He felt himself growing weaker as the power of his unlife drained freely from below his head.

Turning his eyes toward Crowley, he saw his headless body turn to ash at his feet. Crowley had a sword in his hand, which was covered with a streak of dark vampiric blood.

Lucal had never even seen Crowley draw his sword.

Just how was Crowley so monstrously strong? Had he been hiding his power all these decades?

"Curse you, you monster!" soundlessly mouthed Lucal as the world around him turned dark. Of course, as he had no lungs or diaphragm with which to exhale, his final complaints remained silent and unheard.

Lucal's head dissolved, leaving naught but a pile of ash to remind anyone of his existence.

Guren watched as the offending vampire met his end. Although he noticed Lucal charging toward them, he, like Lucal, never saw Crowley draw his sword. All he saw was an angry vampire suddenly become decapitated.

He glanced to the reactions around him. Crowley was utterly nonplussed as if he'd only removed a leaf from his hair and not a head from someone's shoulders. Chess and Horn looked smug. Lacus gave a low whistle, and Re _né's only sign of surprise was that his eyes minutely widened._

 _It couldn't be that Crowley was actually stronger than Ferid, right?_

"Another method to kill a vampire is to cut his head off, like you saw just now," said Crowley, continuing his lecture. After a moment, the vampiric blood on his sword turned to ash as well, and he returned the blade to its scabbard after shaking the ash free. "A third method is to destroy the vampire's heart."

On cue, Horn stomped through Esther's torso hard, sending his remains splattering up against her leg and dress.

After a beat, he also deteriorated into ash, leaving his damaged clothing behind.

Horn frowned at the ash on her clothes and soon stepped away to remove the filth.

"You know a vampire has take his second death when he turns to ash. In most circumstances, they don't recover from this," continued Crowley.

"What do you mean by 'most circumstances'? How do you come back when your body has turned to dust?" asked Guren, taking the opportunity to learn what he could. Ferid had hardly taught him anything, after all.

Crowley chuckled lightly. "Well, hm… I guess I ought to tell you more about the different stages of a vampire's existence. Around a century or so, depending on the bloodline, vampires develop the ability to change their forms. They can turn into animals and other living creatures. If they aren't careful, they may forget their original form entirely. It's common for these mid-ranked vampires to become much more beautiful than a standard human, which makes it easier for them to snag their prey. For the sake of convenience, the more skilled ones can also form their clothes using the very substances of their bodies."

"So… their clothes are basically their skin?" asked Guren, glancing at Horn. Now that he thought about it, her elbow-length glove was not torn when she altered her arm. This was because it had also become part of her weapon.

This also explained how so many vampires appeared to wear makeup, even though they couldn't use mirrors when applying it.

"That's right. You may have noticed, but vampires don't have a reflection."

When he was human, it wasn't hard to suspect that, given the books he'd read and the utter lack of mirrors in the castle. Once he'd become a vampire, he'd confirmed it. He still had a reflection, but it was so faint and blurred, any human who looked closely would realize something was off.

"Newborn vampires have a weak reflection that fades completely by the time their eyes turn red. Lesser vampires have no reflection, but their clothing and other adornments still do. Anyone who uses a mirror to hunt them can easily spot them that way. When the mid-ranked vampires use their transformation abilities to form their attire, there is no reflection in those mirrors at all. If someone is using a mirror to hunt them, in that case—"

"There will be no reflection at all," answered Guren, easily reaching the conclusion. "Since their clothes are more like their skin, nothing will leave a reflection, and whoever is hunting them will not see anyone sneaking behind them with the mirror."

"That is correct," stated Crowley languidly as he clapped his hands together. "The high-ranking or ancient vampires have the skill to even turn into things like mist and ash to escape or enter a place, so they are especially tricky to kill. It's difficult to determine whether they are truly dead or not, or if you've managed to destroy all their cells with sunlight without letting any escape. These vampires are the exception to the rules."

"How does one become so powerful?" asked Guren cautiously. If he failed his objective, then he would never live long enough to reach that stage, but there was a risk he would face off against such a powerful vampire before that time.

"That varies substantially based on bloodline and skill levels," answered Crowley vaguely. "Most vampires are only lesser vampires. Sometimes, they are killed by humans. Sometimes, they commit suicide. Most of the time, they are killed by other vampires. No matter how humans try, vampires are far more capable of killing other vampires than the humans are. The vampire that Horn crushed was clearly a lesser vampire. Otherwise, he would have changed his form to try and escape. Lucal may have been a lesser vampire or an unskilled mid-ranked one. He severely overestimated himself."

"The mid-ranked vampires developed the ability to transform. Do the ancient vampires have any other special abilities?" asked Guren, probing for whatever information he could get.

"…Yes," answered Crowley after a moment. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "They can develop curious abilities that will leave your head spinning. They are so rare, however, that little is known about them."

The more Guren learned, the less he felt he knew. His head already felt like it was spinning. Just what else had Ferid not told him?

"Is there anything else I should know?" asked Guren tentatively, not hopeful for the answer.

"Probably," answered Crowley with a wry smile. "It's Ferid's responsibility to teach you these things… Considering your punishment, he might have decided against it. Well, you'll discover these things for yourself in due time… Anyway, is anyone thirsty? Chess, Horn, and I finished our meals before you arrived."

Guren's endless questions were practically drowned out by his gluttony, and he pushed his worries aside for now.

Lacus and Re _né went hunting on their own. Chess and Horn collected Lucal Wesker and Esther's clothing to dispose of. Crowley left with Guren. They all agreed to meet up on the docks before dawn, where Guren had agreed to smuggle them onto one of the Hiragi's ships._

Up until this point, Guren had only ever preyed on the people working on or near the train and homeless folk. Now that he was free to pick his food, he wanted to think about it more carefully.

Unfortunately, his painful thirst made him so desperate, he raced to the first occupied house he could find and discovered the hard way that he really couldn't enter a human's home without permission. Whenever he forcefully tried to enter, he felt as if he were pushing against a great pressure. It was not as though he was pressing against a wall but rather like the air suddenly became extremely heavy and was repelling him. Although this was mentioned in the tome he had been studying, it made him wonder just what else Ferid had not told him.

Crowley merely watched while chuckling as Guren tried to figure the way out of this conundrum on his own.

A young man with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail sipped his beer while thinking deeply. His eyes drooped downward at the outer corners, giving him a blasé demeanor. He had a mole under his right eye, which gave him a roguish air. "Shusaku, has all of the cargo for our shipment arrived yet?" he asked, deliberately keeping his words vague.

"The rest of it should arrive tonight or tomorrow," answered Shusaku. He had black hair with long bangs and dark eyes, which gave him a more serious air. Although both he and the man beside him had been raised as servants to the Ichinose Clan from the day they had been born and had a strong Japanese lineage, the Asian characteristics were far more pronounced in Shusaku Iwasaki than any of the other elite officers of their smuggling ship. "Is something bothering you, Makoto?"

The name of the man with the ponytail was Makoto Narumi, the captain of their ship operating secretly under the command of the Hiragi Clan.

Makoto sighed and gazed forlornly at his beer.

"You know, it's just that I have a bad feeling about it this time. You-know-who warned us he might be away for a few months, but it's been two-and-a-half months already. Ever since the previous head died, he's the only one we have. Even though he'll be twenty-five in August, he still hasn't produced an heir," answered Makoto vaguely. Despite the lack of details and cryptic language, Shusaku could easily understand what he meant.

"You-know-who," of course, referred to Guren Ichinose, the person they had sworn loyalty to and prioritized over the Hiragi Clan. When Makoto said that Guren's father died, what he really meant was that he was executed by the Hiragi. Unfortunately, the surviving Ichinose had no choice to submit to the Hiragi or die, and, no matter what they had to do, they would always obey Guren's orders. The head of the Hiragi Clan, Tenri Hiragi, had been quiet in recent years and left most of the management of their association to his eldest son, Kureto Hiragi.

Fortunately, Kureto Hiragi and Guren Ichinose had a good relationship, despite the mutual hatred between their forefathers. Thanks to this, the Ichinose's living situation really wasn't too bad. Unlike in the past, they received fair treatment for their work, and the Ichinose were trusted with more difficult and lucrative tasks. In the past five years, the Ichinose had managed to rise up from the lowest-ranking underlings in the organization up to the second most powerful.

Indeed, their treatment was not bad...

That said, they still couldn't bear the indignity of their past conflicts and loss of their former head.

"That person is more skilled and more powerful than any of us. He is so cunning, it would be easier to capture a mermaid than to find him when he doesn't want to be found," replied Shusaku after a long pause.

If anyone could survive, he believed Guren could.

Although Guren let his followers know he was headed to Transylvania with a teenage boy (a loud-mouthed creature the other Ichinose regarded as an upstart brat whom Guren had taken a liking to), he never revealed anything else. He didn't discuss which weapons he was dealing, which contracts he was making, or which group he planned on meeting with. Since they had ferried him from England across the Dover Straight, they knew he either didn't carry any large weapons with him or was only working with smaller firearms. It was also possible he was only making a deal of some kind.

No one dared believe he was merely going to sell real estate.

Whatever it was, it wasn't just a vacation; if he had wanted a vacation, he would have made a few other servants come along to pamper him.

…Of course, he only went on a vacation once every few years anyway, and that was only after his friends and Kureto Hiragi insisted upon it. Guren was more lenient back when he was a teenager, but he was more serious now. Although his servants would never say this out loud, they thought Guren had only looked more and more broken and depressed over the years.

"You're right," said Makoto after a moment. "He only told us he was heading to that place, but he kept the rest of the details secret. I wish he'd trust us more."

Makoto sighed. He wished he and the others had been able to cheer Guren up as much as Yuichiro had. Even so, Guren's unenthusiastic and serious expressions seemed to melt before the kid, so they had grown fond of him over the years.

"Captain, all of the cargo from today has been completely loaded," chirped a petite young woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair, short bangs, and glasses. Her name was Yayoi Endo, and she was one of the sailors under Makoto's direct command. Although public opinion claimed women were bad luck at sea, Makoto was certain their bad luck was redirected at their opponents and rivals… After all, the women on his ship were fully-capable of sniping a man over a hundred yards away with minimal lighting and knew most modern weapons like the backs of their hands. Even if a sea monster came after them, Makoto would feel more pity for the beast than for the ladies on his vessel.

Two other people were with her. One was another woman who wore heavy makeup and kept her blond hair pulled back into pigtails. Unlike the more conservative Yayoi, she did not hesitate to show off her cleavage or wear her clothing just a tad tighter than she should. She had a choker on her neck. Her name was Rika Inoue, another woman under Makoto's command. The other person was a man named Taro Kagiyama. He was about twice the size of Makoto and had a goatee. His face was the most masculine out of the five. Despite working with him for so long, no one knew what the top of his head looked like because he always had it wrapped with a bandana. Today's bandana was white.

Perhaps his closest of friends had seen beneath his bandana, but very few dared to peek underneath it without his permission… Perhaps this was because he appeared fully capable of ripping the offender's arm right out of its socket.

Altogether, Makoto, Shusaku, Yayoi, Rika, and Taro were the ones most responsible for the Ichinose's portion of cargo smuggling. Unlike some of the other groups, they specifically focused on transporting nonliving goods. Although one unit was responsible for human trafficking, the Ichinose had enough clout in the organization to avoid such a disdainful task. They have said it many a time, but they preferred transporting weapons instead of getting involved in slavery. In exchange, everyone else thought twice before trying to pirate from their ship on the canal.

The next night, Makoto's crew had all their legal and illegal contraband loaded for transport across the Dover Strait. What they didn't realize was that their nonliving cargo was not quite as nonliving as they expected.


	23. 1 July 1897

1 July 1897.

Guren waited patiently in his crate as the ship finally lurched away from the dock. Fortunately, he had had the wisdom to gorge himself on blood to the point of feeling bloated the night before, so he hadn't felt as desperately thirsty as usual when he woke up. That said, he still urgently craved blood and nearly gave in to his impatience and busted out of his crate before he was ordered to do so.

Instead, he forced himself to wait, albeit impatiently.

How many times had he slept in a crate already? At this point, he began to wonder if his vampiric seniors kept giving him such instructions to harass him. Actually, now that his bloodlust wasn't as overwhelming as it had been earlier this week, and since he had a moment to think, he couldn't help but wonder if there were more convenient modes of travel for a young vampire. Chess and the more advanced vampires simply flew across Europe. Guren, Lacus, and Re _né had the task of "guarding" the goods sent from Ferid's castle, but they were even worth less than humans during daytime. Besides, what materialistic objects would be so valuable to immortal monsters anyway? At any rate, couldn't the elder vampires have consumed the blood of a few humans and ordered them to protect everything instead?_

The more he considered the situation, the more Guren suspected getting crammed into a crate every night for a week was some type of nasty vampire initiation.

That, or perhaps they did to restrict his movements and keep him under constant watch. After all, none of them were naïve enough to suspect he genuinely had a lick of loyalty toward them and wouldn't kill them in a second to accomplish his own plans.

Before he could contemplate this uncomfortable situation much longer, the sounds of heels clacking against the floor brought him to attention.

"Alright!" whispered a youthful female voice from nearby. "Everyone, up! It's time for us to dine."

Guren cracked his crate open and popped out, grateful to stretch his limbs and have some fresh air, even if he didn't need to breathe.

Nearby, Lacus and Re _né popped out as well. The three turned to face the young preteen before them. Chess stood as tall as she could with her delicate and immature figure._

"Our assignment tonight is to eliminate all of the humans on board this ship. None may be allowed to survive, even as puppets. Although the crew planned to dock in Dover, we will divert it from its original path and travel much farther north. We will acquire transportation there and travel to our new residence," she stated seriously.

"Why are we killing everyone?" asked Guren carefully. "If we merely took control of the crew, wouldn't that be more convenient?"

A wicked smirk stretched across Chess's ruby red mouth.

"We are killing everyone," she replied smugly, "because Ferid told us to. You can consider it to be part of your punishment since you might know these people. If they recognize us, wouldn't we be in trouble? Anyway, it'll be fun, so why not?"

Guren tensed at Chess's undisguised malice. His mouth felt dry.

Against a reason like that, how could he argue? They could easily wipe the humans' memories, but Ferid's instructions were absolute. Back when Guren first decided to collude with vampires, he had already been willing to sacrifice everyone and everything he knew. He could always try to redeem himself once he succeeded, or so he believed... And, if he failed, he had already decided to punish himself with death. Permanent death, that is, and not the unsavory undeath vampires espoused.

Now, he wasn't so confident about the decisions he had made, but it was too late to turn back.

Besides, his former subordinates all knew how hazardous their line of work was. If they could save their lives by killing vampires, then they would. If the vampires killed them, then they failed at their job. As those who survive by doing illicit tasks, this was their fate.

This was their job. How was it his fault if they got killed sooner rather than later?

If he ordered his subordinates to die, most of them would voluntarily kill themselves anyway.

Or so Guren tried to convince himself.

Somehow, all the reasons about why he should not feel guilty didn't provide any relief. He felt sick to his stomach, like he was about to vomit bile. The despair which filled him was even worse than when Ferid made Yu witness his death. Ironically, that had been his choice, too, hadn't it?

"Isn't there another way?" asked Guren so softly his voice could hardly be heard.

Chess laughed.

"Anyway, how should we split up?" asked Lacus, ignoring Guren's plea.

"How about we have Chess and Guren stay here and watch over our cargo?" advised Crowley. "We don't want Chess to get injured again, and Guren is hesitating."

Guren didn't believe for a second that kindness could come from a vampire. Were their souls not taken by the Devil in exchange for these cursed forms? In that case, was Crowley implying he was weak? If they saw him as weak, then wouldn't they keep stepping on him from this point on?

"I can go," said Guren, his reservation only apparent by a slight quiver in his voice.

"Eh… I think it's better if you stay here with Chess," said Crowley gently with a slight smile. "After all, aren't you supposed to act as her servant until she fully recovers?"

"Hmph! Quit trying to get out of your work!" snapped Chess with her fists placed on her childish hips as she glared at Guren.

Guren frowned, dismayed. So if he refused to kill his own subordinates, he was weak, and, if he really _did_ kill them, he was lazy because he wasn't serving Chess? Did this mean he had been cornered in a situation where he couldn't provide a good answer?

Guren scowled.

"The rest of us will scout the ship and work on killing and or draining the crew. Horn and I will go first," announced Crowley, "and Lacus and Re _né_ will follow us. Besides drinking our fill, our priority will be to bring live humans back here for Chess to feast on. After all, Lest Karr and the others might not be as welcoming as they were in their letters if they know we're at less than full strength. The faster her condition improves, the smoother future events will be for the rest of us."

 _Oh, great_ , thought Guren without amusement. Did this mean he got the job of personally feeding his crew to that irritable little vampire miss? Wasn't that even more cruel than killing them himself?

"Everyone, remember to be careful," said Crowley lightly with an amused smirk. "These are _Guren's_ former henchmen, after all. For all we know, they might be even feistier than him and blow our heads to bits!"

Horn smirked, and Chess frowned. Lacus appeared chagrined and glanced at Re _né_ , who merely shrugged at him.

"Well then, Horn… Shall we go?" asked Crowley, holding his hand out to the shapely woman.

"Mm," she murmured with a nod, taking his hand.

The tall, muscular man and hourglass-shaped woman stepped from shadow to shadow as if dancing a silent, elegant waltz, inviting the nightmares of the night to come alive. Their movements were graceful and smooth, clearly reflecting their station above that of mere servants. Their refined steps and gestures clearly demarcated their status as nobility.

Each of them learned to dance prior to the end of their human lives. Horn had been a noble lady while Crowley had been a skilled knight. Although Crowley had not been trained in the etiquette of nobility and had not had an official dance instructor, his natural reflexes and athletic skill were enough to make up for it, especially given all the noble ladies who practically climbed over each other to take his hand.

Even so, his natural abilities and strength had been proven worthless when his effeminate silver-haired companion had turned out to be something other than human. After all, how could a mere human compare against a blood-sucking monster?

Crowley swept a gloved hand forward and gave a light bow, clearly signaling the lady of this dance to take the lead.

Given the fact the humans they were hunting were of the same ilk as Guren, who had blown Chess into millions of pieces and nearly killed her, it was clear the first vampire to engage against them was being treated as a sacrificial pawn.

Horn saw it differently, however. Crowley wasn't using her as a martyr; instead, this was merely a demonstration of his respect for her and faith in her capability.

At their estate, although Horn was far weaker and younger than either Crowley or Ferid, she was the third strongest without a doubt, and her cunning was no less than Crowley's. Fortunately, she was neither wicked like Ferid, nor lazy like Crowley. Given her great self-control and responsible nature, it was natural most of the estate's management fell under her control.

In battle or assassination, her abilities left no doubt either.

Before a human could blink, her bewitching figure twirled and stepped down the hall, arms outstretched. A pair of men looked up when they noticed movement, but she scratched each one's neck before they could even comprehend what they saw. She licked the drops of blood from her knife-like fingers before they could shout out in surprise.

" _Go to the cargo hold_ ," she instructed them softly.

The two men's expression became lax, and they listlessly meandered past Crowley to the room where Chess was waiting for her meal.

She made eye contact with Crowley, who gave her a satisfied nod.

He then took his turn at the following corner.

Unlike before, this corridor was wider and had better lighting. The pair of sailors here had ample room to spot the thirsty stowaways. Crowley raced to the one standing farther away, who was aiming a gun. Before he could fire it, Crowley lifted the man by his jaw, crushing it, and shattered the bones of his right hand. The man's screams were smothered by Crowley's other hand until Crowley pierced his neck with his fangs, making the screams become unnatural moans filled with a twisted mixture of both pain and pleasure. Despite the bite's pleasure, the man's expression was horrified and full of fear at the realization his life would shortly come to an end.

" _Remain silent_ ," ordered Crowley calmly. " _Proceed to the cargo hold_."

The man limply obeyed the command, but signs of his struggle to survive were apparent in his jilted movements. No matter how unyielding he was, human willpower was not enough to fight against a vampire's control.

Crowley turned back around to see what was became of the first sailor.

His face was red and swollen, and his right arm dangled at an awkward angle. Clearly, he had not gotten gentler treatment by facing the woman instead. She had obviously followed-up without needing the order and had done well.

" _Do as he said_ ," stated Horn, instructing the sailor to follow his companion to their makeshift den.

The two vampires looked at each other and smiled confidently before continuing their hunt.

Guren scowled as the two sailors wobbled into the cargo hold. Whether their gaits were unsteady from the anemia or their defiance against the vampires' control, he couldn't say. What he _could_ say, was that he thought he trained his subordinates to put up more than a fight than that. Guren had yet to hear any signs of struggle, and these two had no obvious injuries except for the meager scratches on their necks. Were they not the followers of the Hiragi Clan, the indisputable master of England's criminal underground?

He gazed at them with a scathing expression, but he quickly grew confused when he realized he never felt the sympathy for them he expected. Instead of looking down on them, why wasn't he pitying them or trying to make their deaths more comfortable?

Although the contrast of Guren's current feelings and his human feelings left him feeling increasingly uneasy, the scent of fresh blood pervaded his nostrils and shoved those concerns aside.

His mouth and throat felt parched, as if he had run a marathon in a desert without taking a single sip of water. Aching with need, he took one step forward before recalling that Chess was to be fed first and letting his reason overrule his bloodlust. He tried to mask his loss of control by adjusting his position.

Even so, a derisive snort soon came from Chess.

Guren glanced at her and frowned. She confidently sneered back, her ruby eyes glittering menacingly, filled with mockery and disdain.

She had completely seen through him.

After a long few seconds, Guren finally looked away. He didn't have the power to oppose her, and he wasn't one to start a war he couldn't win. Instead, his eyes locked on the two humans who staggered into the cargo hold. A cut marred their otherwise undamaged necks, letting a thin trail of succulent blood drip down.

Before Guren could even swallow his saliva, Chess had already leapt onto the first one, clasping her legs around his waist as she was too short to stretch from the ground to his neck. She drank greedily, and the man soon collapsed. She cradled him as she drank him dry like a young girl with a life-sized doll.

Instead of feeling guilt for inviting these monsters in, he hoped Chess would leave the other human for him.

"Strip him," ordered Chess, slugging the corpse toward Guren. It rolled uselessly at his feet.

Guren blinked.

"Did you not hear what I said?" she snapped. "Strip him!"

Frowning, Guren did as he was told. Hearing the shuffling of clothes going on around him, he glanced up to see Lacus and Re _né taking off their clothes._

After a few minutes, Chess had drained the second man, who had, embarrassingly enough, panted and moaned audibly with her bite. The whole thing made Guren feel both ashamed of his men and incredibly thirsty. Like before, she threw his corpse to Guren.

Re _né donned the first man's clothes while Lacus donned the second man's clothes._

"How do I look?" asked Lacus with a cheerful twirl.

"Like a corpse in a costume," stated Re _né plainly._

Lacus made an exaggerated, hurt expression.

The clothing fit them well enough. The only signs of damage were a few drops of blood near the collar, but a human couldn't see such details in the dark.

When the two left to follow Horn and Crowley, Guren glared at them with envy, wondering when it would be his turn to drink. Although he knew some of these people were ones he personally trained while the others were, at the very least, under his command, he found he didn't care about them as much as he should.

No wonder Ferid referred to him as a hypocrite.

Makoto sighed as he gazed out at the dark waters before the ship. As usual, the route thus far had been uneventful, and no pirates dared attack them, which was quite fortuitous… However, Makoto could not shake an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind. He had the weirdest thoughts that a kraken would tear their ship asunder or a group of sirens would lure them to their deaths. Although he highly doubted such things existed as anything more than a myth and never paid them any heed since he was a child, his continued to direct themselves in such a fantastical way tonight.

He didn't understand why.

His fingers tapped impatiently against the helm.

"Shusaku, are there any problems with the ship?" asked Narumi for the umpteenth time that night.

"There are no problems with the ship, captain," answered Shusaku patiently. "There are also no problems with the cargo or the crew. The skies are clear, and the waves are gentle. This is not the maiden voyage for our ship or any of the crew, although several members are more adept at combat and assassination than sailing. Everything is proceeding according to schedule, and Shiho Kimizuki should be there to greet us upon arrival."

"Shiho Kimizuki?" asked Makoto, pausing his fingers. "You mean that punk kid we caught as a stowaway one time with the sickly little sister?"

"That's right. Lord Ichinose was so impressed by the fact he sneaked aboard that he adopted him into the clan… and he was so disappointed in us that he cut our pay in half for a month," answered Shusaku, his voice dipping to softer tones by the end of his statement.

The two men shivered at the memory.

"I remember that," said Makoto slowly. "Although people manage to wiggle their way on here sometimes, they were all adults. That kid was still pretty young and had the eyes of a tiger. The boss saw a lot of potential in him. And, besides… He was desperate. His loyalty to his sister was pretty cute back then. What ended up happening to her?"

"Last I heard, she was still alive," said Shusaku, his expression growing concerned. He turned to a petite woman with glasses, who stood quietly behind them.

"She was still alive a week ago," answered Yayoi Endo, adjusting her glasses. "However, the Hiragi took responsibility for her medical treatment awhile back, so she's currently under their care."

Makoto grimaced.

"'Under their care'?" he echoed woefully. "In other words, they probably plan to use her as a hostage to manipulate Kimizuki. If the Hiragi and the Ichinose have a falling out again, then he'll have to be eliminated."

"Since Kureto Hiragi has taken command of most of the Hiragi activity, they haven't been as unbearable as before," said Shusaku.

"If we were to fight then again," began Yayoi softly, "then…"

"We probably wouldn't have a chance," finished Makoto. "We got as much power as we have today by siding with them way back when. Although we have power, we're still their subordinates…"

The three of them sighed.

"It could be worse," said Yayoi.

"It could," agreed Makoto. "Anyway, I still have the jitters—"

"You have a lot of jitters," quipped Shusaku.

"—and so I'm going to walk around and check on things myself," finished Makoto, shooting a Shusaku a toxic look. "Shusaku, would you _kindly_ take the wheel for a bit?"

"No problem. Enjoy your walk," answered Shusaku, smiling softly and innocently as if he had not been poking fun at Makoto's unwarranted nervousness all evening.

Makoto frowned and brushed bangs away from his eyes.

"Don't blow up the ship while I'm gone," he stated.

"Yes, sir!" replied Shusaku and Yayoi on cue.

Makoto rolled his eyes and stepped away from the helm. Shutting the door behind him, he sighed. Despite being the captain, no one seemed to treat him with the reverence normally provided to one's superior. Shusaku had the excuse of growing up together with Makoto, but his other crew members often treated Makoto like a good friend as well instead of the intimidating boss he was supposed to be. Maybe he ought to add a few drills to their schedule this month.

Makoto sighed as he walked onto the deck and stretched his back in the fresh air of the strait.

Even though his subordinates were a little unruly at times, he'd be damned if anything happened to them under his watch.


	24. 2 July 1897

2 July 1897.

Eventually, Chess consumed a few more members of the crew. It had even gotten to the point where her lithe, adolescent figure's stomach grew bloated. Blood sloshed around in her stomach, causing her far more discomfort than she really appreciated. Vomiting would have given her some relief, but she obstinately held her juices down. Her expression looked uncomfortable as she rubbed her blood-engorged abdomen. Even so, she used her thumb to wipe the blood from the corners of her mouth and thirstily licked it clean.

Another pair of mesmerized crew members walked into the cargo hold, and her expression grew grim. Even if she were one of the stronger vampires, she could only digest blood so quickly, after all.

Her eyelids drooped, and she glanced at her starving companion without expressing the slightest sliver of sympathy.

Despite her childish appearance, she was not a naïve vampire. Nor was she ignorant.

There was no way she would feel pity for this bastard.

Guren Ichinose. A wealthy Japanese-Englishman who acted as one of the central pillars of London's criminal underground. He specialized in smuggling and weapons dealing behind the scenes while putting on the face of a smiling and charitable saint to the public. It was almost as if he were the living metaphor of a Sock and Buskin mask. On one side, he was applauded for successful business ventures and benevolent acts, which had been extolled often and loudly by _The London Times_ and other newspapers; on the other, he cheated his business rivals out of their riches and recruited desperate people to serve as loyal subordinates to him. He most often chose young orphans and raised them from childhood to serve as mercenaries. He preferred those with tragic pasts since there was a good chance they could become exceedingly grateful toward him, ensuring their loyalty right from the start… Of course, whenever that strategy failed, and the new servant was considered "unsalvageable," then it was no trouble to have the kid disappear without anyone being the wiser; after all, as orphans, they didn't have any families to miss them. It wasn't particularly unusual for orphans to run away from their would-be caretakers. The officers who suspected otherwise were silenced easily by their superiors, who were under the clan's thumb. The more self-righteous ones met with fatal accidents.

There was a reason behind everything Guren Ichinose did, and it was often not related to whimsical "kindness."

As far as Chess understood it, he could, by no means, be considered to be a _good_ man.

The Ichinose Clan and a few other clans were submissive to the Hiragi Clan, the overarching power which reigned supreme in the underworld. Other branches of their organization also sold opium and other illicit drugs. The sex industry, sex trafficking, and the slave trade were managed under them by other groups as well… Although sex trafficking and slavery did not exist to the public eye, they persisted in the underworld in spite of laws and regulations against them.

Although Guren had cultivated a noble charade and pretended to be a hero, Ferid had already accumulated plenty of information about him before ever inviting him to their castle. The handful of vampires who lived under his direct command at Bathory Castle had all been briefed about him before his arrival. No matter how much he feigned innocence, they all knew better.

Guren was a man who appeared to have the world at his fingerprints, and yet he so voluntarily threw away his life to become a vampire. She did not know the reason Guren strayed from the path of humanity, but she didn't care; it was doubtlessly something stupid, as most human reasons were.

Speaking of which, that former human who had protested against killing the crew not even an hour ago was currently salivating at the pair of humans who just came forward like the ravenous, blood-thirsty monster he was.

She sighed softly and shook her head. Humans could be so foolish sometimes. That said, she was satisfied by the self-restraint he showed toward her prey. He didn't give her any reason to punish him tonight.

"You can have these two," stated Chess simply.

Guren looked up at her with an uncomprehending expression.

Chess frowned. "I _said_ you can eat them, so bite them already!" she hissed.

As if he were an arrow released from a taught bowstring, Guren charged forward and dug into his prey. His strength crushed their bones and ripped their muscles asunder as fangs tore into their flesh. His savage nature broke through his human façade in a way only a thirsty newborn vampire could.

Chess rolled her eyes, wondering how she once again had baby-sitting duty for this pathetic creature.

Walking around, Makoto's sense of unease only grew deeper. His footsteps became light, and he held his gun at the ready. Although he should have encountered at least four of five patrols by this point, he had only seen two. They weren't short-staffed this night, so what exactly was everyone doing? Playing cards in a dark corner of the ship?

Even though his crew wasn't absolutely submissive to him, they weren't slackers... After all, those deemed useless were also deemed expendable, and the consequences of garnering such a condemning distinction were dire. The most common result was that the slothful person in question ended up being sent to Davy Jones's locker.

Although this treatment could be considered kinder than the torture the Hiragi Clan would dish out, it was still quite effective in keeping people motivated, which meant he didn't have to issue this punishment frequently.

Yet tonight, not one, not two, but _several_ of the crew members were not at their stations. Was this a mutiny? Had some of them been bought off by a rival smuggling company?

Makoto adjusted his grip on his Colt New Police Revolver and kept his stance steady. He backed against a wall as his eyes darted across the deck. A pair of shadows stepped out from around a corner, and he tensed before relaxing.

"Rika! Taro!" he hissed, waving them over.

The two figures swiftly moved toward him, putting up their guards as one checked their left while the other checked their right.

Rika was a young woman with blond pigtails, who always wore more accessories than was considered orthodox. Right now, she had ribbons in her hair and a choker with a butterfly decoration dangling at her throat. She had a faint scent of perfume, making Makoto's nose cringe. Although her appearance suggested otherwise, she was still one of the best shots he had in his team. She also had other duties, such as collecting information and acting as a spy, which gave her far more freedom in her appearance than other members of his crew.

Taro, on the other hand, was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a tan roughed by the sea winds and a white scarf shielding his scalp. He had a "tough guy" appeal, which made him a useful deterrent to thieves and stowaways, although Makoto suspected his appearance wasn't as much of a deterrent tonight as it usually was.

"Sir!" the pair whispered once they reached their captain, having immediately noticed the urgency in his tone and behavior.

"Where is the rest of the crew that's supposed to be patrolling?"

"Sir," began Rika, speaking more formally to her captain than usual, "Taro and I noticed some of the crew were missing ten minutes ago and have checked the deck and all of the resting quarters for them already. Several teams are missing. We have yet to check the cargo hull or engine room."

"Have you seen any signs of them?"

"None at all, sir," she answered darkly. "Those still doing their patrols reported the crew who entered the cargo hold never came back out. We sent ten members to stand guard before the entrance to the hold and were on our way to report to you before investigating further."

"Hopefully, this is just another one of Lord Guren's tests," whispered Taro uneasily.

"Even if it's a test, we could still die," replied Makoto seriously. "Rika, Taro, I want you to return to the helm and alert Yayoi and Shusaku to the situation. I will proceed to the cargo hold and command our assault team from there."

"Sir, I have to disagree!" stated Rika abruptly.

"I also disagree!" stated Taro. "As the captain, _you_ should return to the helm while Rika and I investigate!"

"Rejected," stated Makoto simply. "I am your captain. Be obedient."

Rika and Taro sighed but nodded, knowing they had little time to argue. They crept past Makoto, heading toward the helm until the resounding roar of gunfire filled the air, followed by several heart-rendering screams until the screams were cut off as quickly as they began.

Knowing that Shusaku, Yayoi, and anyone with functioning ears on the ship must have heard the uproar and moved into full-alert, Rika and Taro immediately back-tracked to guard Makoto and aimed their revolvers at the entrance to the cargo hold.

If this were a drill, it sure as Hell wasn't any drill they had experienced before.

Makoto's heart beat heavily in his chest as adrenaline flooded his veins.

Soft, unsteady footsteps made their way out of the corridor. The man's dark gray hair had long bangs swept to one side of his face while the rest of his tresses were pulled back with clips or left loose over his shoulders. He wore their uniform and was covered in blood.

He wobbled toward Makoto and the other two, raising a blood-soaked hand tremulously.

"Sir," he cried, "we've been—"

Before he could speak another word, Rika and Taro shot him full of bullet-holes, puncturing his chest and shoulders numerous times. With a horror-struck expression, the man fell lifelessly to the ground.

Makoto nodded in silent approval. Even if he wore one of their uniforms, none of them recognized this man, meaning he must have been one of the intruders. The best intruder, in their opinion, was a dead intruder.

"Aha," came an unamused laugh from down the corridor before it began speaking in German. "Lacus got turned into Swiss cheese."

Makoto and his team aimed their guns back at chest-height toward the hallway.

"Now, isn't that an awfully rude greeting?" asked a deep voice with a heavy German accent, now in English.

The humans trained their guns on their target, waiting for him to step beyond the corner shielding him. They did not notice a pair of rats scuttle from behind Lacus's body and move beyond their sight.

"We can still solve this peacefully," muttered the voice.

Makoto wondered where his reinforcements were. Why weren't they here yet? Whoever was around the corner was clearly buying time for him and his allies, too. Should he wait, or should he charge forward?

Since no one joined them, he grew worried for Shusaku and the rest of his crew. Had they been ambushed as well?

Makoto signaled Rika and Taro to step forward.

When they moved, a heavy force slammed Makoto in the head, making him crash into the wall.

He blinked and saw a blond woman with a large bosom and wide hips standing where he had been and pulling back her hand.

Alarmed, Rika and Taro turned to defend him, but a man far more muscular than any of his crew grabbed the pair by their necks and snapped them.

Makoto blinked, dizzy and confused, as his friends suddenly became limp, and their guns slid from their slackening fingers. They then fell to the ground. Their bodies lied contorted in unnatural positions while their mouths opened weakly and their eyes stared at nothing.

Inwardly cursing, Makoto aimed his revolver at the large man.

A _bang_ echoed into the night, and Makoto's gun flew from his grasp along with a couple of his fingers.

Swallowing his screams, he turned his eyes to his left, realizing with horror that the one who shot him was the corpse Rika and Taro had shot earlier. The man, if he really was a man, was sitting up and hacking up blood. He clearly didn't have much life left in him—or so Makoto thought.

A chill crept down Makoto's spine, making him feel as if someone poured ice water over him.

The fatally wounded man stood up and stretched, his eyes glittering with wicked crimson.

"Damn," the man cursed. "That hurt like hell!"

"We warned you to be careful," said another man, stepping from behind the corner. He had dark gray hair braided back with corn rolls and heavy bags under his eyes. "You can only blame your own carelessness. If they had aimed for your head, you really might have experienced your second death."

Makoto realized the reason he had felt uncomfortable all night was not due to mythical sirens or kraken but rather undead monsters.

Seeing as those beings weren't paying much attention to him, Makoto clumsily stood up and tried to run. He did his best to ignore how everything around him seemed to be swaying unnaturally. He clumsily tried to pinch the nubs of his fingers to reduce their bleeding, but his efforts were futile. Before long, he fell, puking up everything from his dinner with the unparalleled nausea and dizziness overcoming him.

He had to warn Shusaku and Yayoi. If at least those two could live, then his death wouldn't be in vain.

He was too disoriented from his concussion to wonder why those two had never made a sound during this fight.

Struggling to get back to his feet, Makoto gritted his teeth and moved forward, crashing into a figure wearing one of the crew member's uniforms.

"Am-Ambush," muttered Makoto weakly, gasping for breath as he fought against the concussion, shock, and anemia. Blood dripped from his head and one of his ears, clotting heavily in his ponytail. It gushed out of his amputated fingers, decorating him with his arterial glory. His eyes grew wide as he looked into the other man's familiar violet eyes. Was this a hallucination he had right before death? "G-Guren…?"

The person who could not have been Guren embraced Makoto, making him cringe from his injuries. Makoto tried to shake his head to knock the hallucination away, but it only made the pain piercing his skull worse.

The man leered ever closer, filling Makoto with an inexplicable sense of dread. He kicked and fought with every thread of life remaining in his veins, even using his maimed hand to try and push the inhumanly strong person away. Even so, the man put his mouth on Makoto's neck.

"Get off!" cried Makoto, sensing imminent danger from the man who wasn't Guren.

Something pierced his skin, filling him with euphoria.

"We already took care of the two at the helm," announced a chipper teenager girl with a heavy German accent as she stepped out of the helm. "That should be just about everyone in the ship."

"I thought you two were going to guard the cargo," stated the elegant blond woman who had slammed Makoto into the wall earlier.

"We were, but it was too boring in there," stated the teenager.

The woman rolled her eyes.

The two in the helm meant Shusaku and Yayoi… They had died even before Makoto could warn them. If even one of his crew had escaped, then perhaps he could die in peace. Instead, he had failed utterly. Every single one of his friends had died, and not one had even gotten word to Lord Guren.

"Shusaku… Yayoi… Lord Guren… I'm… sorry," muttered Makoto as his struggles became weaker and weaker, realizing his end would be here upon the sea.

Before long, his breathing stopped, and his heart gradually stopped beating.

Even so, Guren greedily drank whatever blood he could from the dead man before gently lying him on the deck. A confused expression covered his face, and Chess snorted at him before turning away. Lacus laughed.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" he cooed. "How'd it taste, drinking the lifeblood from your former subordinates?"

Guren frowned, wiping his mouth as he turned away.

Although he would never speak it, _that blood had been the best blood he'd ever consumed._

A couple of hours later, Guren steered the ship north, obediently following his instructions. He had not spoken a word since Chess killed Shusaku Iwasaki and Yayoi Endo, and then he, in his relentless bloodlust, had killed Makoto Narumi himself. Shusaku and Makoto had served him since they were born as retainers to the Ichinose Clan. He remembered seeing them at his father's funeral.

Makoto's blood was so succulent, Guren couldn't even pretend it left a foul taste in his mouth. However, he still knew something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Since Crowley and Horn had left to scout ahead, he finally had some time to think—as long as he could ignore the seemingly adolescent young lady beside him.

Unsurprisingly, she did not take to being ignored very well.

"What are you after in all this?" she asked, her ruby eyes narrowed distrustfully. "You've betrayed your own clan members and forsaken the humanity you once had—although you didn't have much humanity in the first place, it was something. You were a wealthy bastard and could have anything you wanted. Why have you thrown it all away?"

"Ah, me?" asked Guren, turning around slowly with a somber smile alighting his lips.

"Yes, you. Do you see anyone else here?" snapped Chess.

"I plan to… revive the sun," he answered mysteriously before staring at sea and hoping she would leave him be.

"Hah…?" mumbled Chess, instantly growing irritated. As if she could believe such a nonsensical answer. Forget bringing the sun, vampires couldn't even be exposed to its light without turning to ash!

Guren smiled softly as he watched the undulating waves of water reflect under the faint light of the waxing crescent moon.

"Tch!" she snorted, turning away from him and his drivel.

"Alright! We should be making landfall in a few minutes," announced Crowley, "so I think it's time to explain some of our family rules to Guren, just _in case_ we get separated."

Crowley shot a suspicious glance toward Guren, who skillfully avoided it.

"Our family has one particular guideline: we do not turn people into vampires against their will," continued Crowley. "This is one reason why Ferid keeps harassing Mika and pushing him without killing him. He wants Mika to join him willingly."

" _One_ of the reasons," scoffed Chess, rolling her eyes.

"One of the reasons," echoed Crowley solemnly.

The two of them sighed.

"One of the reasons?" asked Guren, trying to ignore the detail he was now considered part of their family. "What are the other reasons?"

"Well, Ferid prefers… beautiful younger ones," answered Crowley awkwardly. "Perhaps ten to sixteen years old? And, of course, Mika is really eye-catching. Besides that, Mika has some traits which are particularly suitable for a vampire. Even if Ferid didn't turn him, someone else would probably try."

"That reminds me… I seem to recall Ferid saying something about Yuichiro being adorable with his enchanting green eyes," added Chess cheerfully.

Guren ignored her blatant provocation.

"Anyway, turning someone against their will is likely to get you in trouble, so don't do it. Otherwise, if you get separated from us, behave yourself and try to lay low. If Lest Karr or his cronies catch you, then you probably won't live to see the next moonrise…

"Now then, it's about time. We've finally arrived in England. Let's try to enjoy our cuisine peacefully, alright?"

Shiho Kimizuki waited in Dover for Makoto Narumi's shipment. No matter how long he waited, it never came.


	25. 7 July 1897, Late Afternoon

7 July 1897, Late Afternoon.

Mitsuba sighed as she gazed listlessly into the vanity mirror. Her signature pigtails were pulled back into a pair of elaborate buns, which would doubtlessly put up an infuriating struggle when she fought to undo them before bed. Even though she was already seventeen, she remained attached to the hairstyle so many of her friends teased her about (namely Shinoa). After all, her sister had worn her hair in like that until she had gotten married, so why couldn't Mitsuba do the same?

She wasn't trying to be like her sister or anything, but something just felt… right about it. Anyway, her sister was practically a genius at everything, so any of Mitsuba's attempts at imitation could only fall short.

She sighed again.

"Cheeeeeeeeer up!" shouted Shinoa at her side, obnoxiously poking her fingers into Mitsuba's dimples and grinning at the mirror like an imp who found a new plaything.

Mitsuba's unamused expression stared flatly back at her from the mirror.

"Come on!" cheered Shinoa. "Show off that cleavage and swing those hips, and you'll get a prince charming in no time!"

For the umpteenth time that day, Mitsuba wondered how this pest had become the person she truly thought of as her best friend.

Mitsuba slapped her hands away.

"I don't care if he's a prince," she retorted, "as long as he's charming. That said, I doubt anyone ogling my bosom is going to be very charming."

"Hahahaha," laughed Shinoa as if Mitsuba had told a great joke. "Well, your parents think otherwise," she said pointedly glancing toward the hills exposed by Mitsuba's low-cut dress.

Mitsuba cringed.

"Thanks to Shinya's help, we were able to get Yoichi and Kimizuki smuggled in as waiters," said Shinoa cheerfully.

Mitsuba's tense expression relaxed. "So Kimizuki finally made it back?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he was suppose to meet up with the Ichinose ship to collect their 'goods'"—"goods" meaning smuggled weapons and other forms of contraband, of course—"but the ship never showed. Then, he had to spend the next several days assisting the investigative team as they hunted all up and down the east coast," she said in a teasing tone, clearly having no sympathy for their hard-working comrade. "Eventually, they found it on the eastern coast, run aground all alone on an isolated beach between Ipswich and Lowestoft."

"Oh?" asked Mitsuba, powdering carmine rouge onto her cheeks. She dipped a finger into a pink-tinted lip salve and painted it over her petal-like lips.

"It was quite strange," stated Shinoa, sitting up straight and crossing her legs in an unladylike manner. "None of the crew were present, not even Captain Makoto Narumi or his first mate, Shusaku Iwawaki. Their bodies had vanished with naught but the traces of bloodshed and bullet holes left behind! Rain washed away most of the evidence, so the investigative team couldn't figure out which of the rival companies were responsible for annihilating them. The weird thing is, the crew was missing, but most of the cargo was still aboard. There were a few crates missing and some others were open, but that was it. Some of the most valuable items had been left behind."

"Huh?" asked Mitsuba, puckering her lips at the mirror. She now had enough color on her face to appear like a pampered princess but not so much that she looked like a prostitute. Of course, with her family name, men would throw themselves at her even if she had rotten horse teeth, asymmetrical eyes, and pockmarked skin.

She turned toward Shinoa. "What do you mean, the crew disappeared but the cargo remained?"

Before Shinoa could answer, the door to their dressing room opened, and a young woman in her twenties stepped forth. She had light blond hair twisted back into a severe bun with a flash of bangs covering her forehead. She had pine-green eyes and a face that looked like she had never smiled once in her life. Even so, she exuded the ideal cold-hearted beauty that gave her many male and female admirers—at a distance, of course; they valued their lives too much to dare approach her. Whether she would end them personally or if her husband would do so in her stead was difficult to say.

This was Aoi Hiragi, formerly Aoi Sangu, Mitsuba's supreme elder sister who got hitched to the young master of the Hiragi Clan as a teenager and consequently glowed with such radiant beauty and esteem, Mitsuba couldn't make any comparison to her.

Her one flaw? She was far too serious and didn't seem to desire the good graces of anyone other than her husband, nor to extend her favor to others. She was as warm and cuddly as an iceberg, even to her family members and precious younger sister. If she received the order to kill Mitsuba, Mitsuba didn't have even a trace of doubt that she could pull it off.

Thus, it was no surprise when her cool gaze made Mitsuba shiver.

"Are you done getting dressed and gossiping? Everyone's waiting," she stated, turning around without giving the two girls a chance to disobey.

Shinoa smiled weakly and shrugged. Unlike the other ladies here, Shinoa wore the least amount of blush reasonable, making her appear as though she had dressed up but not enough to stand out. Her hair was pulled back into the same braided-bun style she always wore and, yes, she even wore same black bow on her hair she always did. She wore a plain lavender dress. If someone didn't know better, one would think she was only a friend of a friend who was invited by happenstance and would never be remembered after this.

Mitsuba knew better. Her best friend and queen of trouble was so skilled at being camouflaged in the background that most people didn't even know the Hiragi Clan had a second daughter.

"You're going out dressed just like that?" asked Mitsuba, quickly pulling on a pair of elbow-length white gloves and following her sister. Despite knowing the answer, the silence surrounding her sister made her too uncomfortable.

"Yes, indeed," stated Shinoa simply, clearly not as put-off by Aoi's icy aura.

Before long, they stepped outside into the evening twilight. This birthday celebration was only a small event with a few "close friends" invited, which meant Mitsuba had to fight to have her _real_ friends permitted to enter the banquet. A staircase curled around either side of the exit to the courtyard, and the garden had been exquisitely maintained with well-groomed bunches of flowers selectively planted to add vitality to the space. Long tables had been placed outside with tempting _hors d'oeuvres_ sitting atop silver plates and trays. The white tablecloths had a lacy border, despite the fact they were unlikely to be used more than once. The decorations were something Mitsuba could only think of as opulent but wasteful.

If so many eyes weren't on her, she would consider seriously rolling her own eyes at the extravagance.

She wished she could have a birthday that celebrated _her_ for once instead of her parents' business connections.

"Greetings," announced Mitsuba at the top of the stairway. Shinoa and Aoi stood behind her on either side; one was as plain as a pigeon while the other was as imposing as a hawk. It was certainly an interesting combination. Her uneasiness was completely masked as she smiled beautifully and elegantly waved a gloved arm. "I would like to thank everyone for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spend such a blessed day with me this evening. Thank you all for your gracious generosity on my seventeenth birthday. Your kindness will certainly allow our Sangu Family to prosper for many generations to come!"

Mitsuba wore a pastel pink dress that emphasized her large bosom—although she was shorter than her elder sister, her chest was significantly larger. She lacked the ice queen personality of her sister, but her exuberant friendliness and rebellious boyish attitude had thrown off more than one suitor.

Pearls decorated her ears, wrists, and neck, making her wonder if this was what a Christmas tree felt like. Even so, her natural beauty and lively violet eyes were enough to draw everyone's attention to her.

Her audience applauded softly, politely, as if they were too elegant to clap like the vulgar masses.

"Please enjoy the light snacks and the music this evening," she said with a gentle smile, which was just as fake as her enthusiasm. On cue, the musicians began playing a classical tune.

Mitsuba elegantly walked down one of the stairways with Shinoa and Aoi silently following her.

That's right—even wearing heels, they were silent as though on an assassination mission. Although Mitsuba was used to this from Shinoa, her sister walking behind her made her uneasy.

Before long, she reached the ground, where several of her family's guests kissed her hand and wished her birthday wishes would come true. Although she quaintly accepted their blessings, her only thought was, _My only wish right now is to get the hell outta here!_

Before long, her sister, the mistress of the Hiragi Clan, was surrounded and unintentionally lured the attention away from Mitsuba, which gave the younger Sangu sister relief that bordered on divine intervention. Although Aoi was a married woman, the power she commanded was no joke, and anyone with a brain would want to lick her boots to join her in a business deal. Should they overstep their bounds, however, there was a good chance they might not survive to do it a second time.

One of Mitsuba's hobbies at these parties was to sit comfortably and watch from a distance as men and women hounded for her sister's attentions but skittishly backed away whenever Aoi's mood appeared to sour.

Finally, Mitsuba escaped to a far corner of the courtyard with Shinoa acting as her ever-present shadow. Fortunately, so few knew that Shinoa was the daughter of the very family they were targeting, or they would choose to go after an unmarried young miss like herself instead of Aoi. As a matter of fact, those here at the party who knew of Shinoa's true identity numbered six in total: Shinoa herself, Mitsuba, Aoi, Shinya, Kimizuki, and Yoichi. Everyone else probably thought she was Mitsuba's handmaiden or something, not a skilled information broker and weapons expert who was currently third in line to the Hiragi Clan's immense fortune and underground network.

Now that they had escaped the throngs of people, the tall-and-swanky Kimizuki with his pink hair (he _had_ removed his earrings) and the short but charming Yoichi sneaked over to them. Their waiter garb made Mitsuba smirk. Although they were the same age, Kimizuki looked like a pirate dressed as a party-crasher, and Yoichi looked too young to work in such a posh arena.

"Wow, wow, wow!" jeered Shinoa. "Aren't the two of you dressed nicely!"

Kimizuki scowled. Yoichi laughed helplessly.

"If it weren't for Shinya," said Yoichi, "we really would've been locked outside the gates."

"Well, it's not like this party is really to celebrate my birthday," stated Mitsuba, her fake smile faltering. "It's just an opportunity to show off and make business deals."

"Aren't you supposed to be picking a husband?" asked Kimizuki.

"I've already been courted by some of the men here, and I'm just not interested. All they want is my name and money anyway. Not a single one of them has an adventurous soul," she continued with a scowl.

"Would you like some caviar on freshly buttered toast points with a dollop of crème fraiche?" asked Yoichi politely as he held out a large tray and acted out his role of a waiter.

"Oh… Thank you," said Mitsuba, gently taking one and grabbing a bite, trying her best to act elegant for now.

Shinoa and Kimizuki also helped themselves.

"How many times did you have to practice saying that to get it right?" asked Shinoa before taking a bite.

"Hahaha… Quite a few," said Yoichi simply.

"What I'm more curious about is… How in the _world_ did you get in here with your hair like that, Kimizuki?" asked Shinoa after swallowing.

"Shinya practically dragged us through the door," answered Kimizuki bluntly, completely giving up on acting the part of a waiter as he stole another helping of caviar from Yoichi.

"Hahaha," laughed a gentle, masculine voice from nearby. "It may have been crude, but it got the job done, didn't it? It looks like Little Yu wasn't able to make it after all."

The four of them looked up to see a handsome man approach them. Like Aoi, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He was very handsome with white hair that covered part of his face and glittering pale blue eyes. He walked with a graceful swagger that bellied the strength hidden beneath. If he chose to, he was probably skillful enough to kill everyone present. Even so, what he was most famous for was not his hand-to-hand combat skills but rather his sniping capabilities. It wasn't a lie to say he was one of the most capable people within the Hiragi Company.

He was Shinya Hiragi.

Although he shared the surname of "Hiragi," he was not a member of the prestigious family by blood. Instead, his skills and abilities at a young age led him to being adopted into the Hiragi Clan as Mahiru Hiragi's fiancé. Unfortunately, she had other plans and eloped with Guren Ichinose, causing all sorts of strife and drama at the time and, by some unfathomable means, leading him and Guren to becoming best of friends. Even though he wasn't in line for any of the family's inheritance, his skillset was too valuable for them to throw away, giving him the awkward social standing of something between a child of the Hiragi and a servant. His easy-going nature made him the second most popular of the Hiragi siblings, following the late Mahiru. Kureto Hiragi was seen as too intimidating while Seishiro was commonly viewed as a bumbling noble with no talent to match his spending. Of course, too few people knew about Shinoa to have an opinion about her.

"Lord Shinya, thank you for bringing them here," said Mitsuba with a light bow, genuinely grateful this time.

"It's no problem," he said, lightly brushing off her formalities. "If I didn't bring them in, I believed Shinoa might cause a convenient explosion to bring this party to an early end."

Mitsuba and the three men slowly turned toward Shinoa, gazing at her with utmost suspicion.

Shinoa innocuously stuffed the rest of her caviar into her mouth, making her cheeks bulge and conveniently making herself unable to speak. She waved her hands and patted her chest as if to proclaim her innocence while turning away with a slightly guilty expression.

A faint chill crept down Mitsuba's spine as she realized that, while she had been distracted by the ice queen to her front, the true devil had been behind her all this while.

When she heard Yoichi gulp to her side, she realized Shinya had truly saved the party.

Ferid enjoyed his time tracking Mika's movements. After all, it had been a great deal of time since Mika had dared to engage in such entertaining defiance… Ferid had spent so much effort (and thoroughly enjoyed himself) breaking Mika again and again and again.

Forcing him to watch as his companions from the orphanage had been hunted down one by one by the other vampires had certainly been a delight, but the kid had remained hopeful and rebellious, something that just made Ferid's blood boil with excitement. What was more memorable was when he escaped back to the village, wondering if everything had been a nightmare, when Ferid cut his precious little girlfriend in half in front of him. _That_ event seemed to break him more than anything. Watching his despair grow as the villagers betrayed him again and again, as hope graced him with a flicker of its capricious promise only to abandon him time after time. Quite literally delicious—the blood of someone whose hope fell to despair was the most delectable as far as Ferid was concerned.

That hopeless lad had even stopped trying to defend himself from Ferid's advances. He had all but surrendered in both body and mind. He had accepted the fact he was naught but an object under Ferid's command. Even though he steadily grew older, Ferid had no doubt that even the stubborn Mika would surrender to him in only a few months' time.

And then Ferid invited that intriguingly heroic Guren and cute Little Yu to his castle.

While Guren focused on his silly experiments, Ferid pushed Mika into having contact with that noisy brat. Ferid didn't have to do anything else he had planned, such as making Mika take Yu into the village or showing Yu around the grounds or taking Yu hunting, oddly enough. That poor visitor had been so bored, he had actually approached Mika of his own initiative (and just a little of Guren's prompting)!

Even if Mika acted like he hated it, he was such a bleeding heart, he would doubtlessly get attached to anyone who showed him the slightest bit of kindness.

Over the days, Mika smiled more and acted with more caution as he once more found himself thinking his dismal life might just brighten up after all. The taste of his blood grew sweeter.

When Ferid slept, he saw Yu through Mika's eyes. That boy had an assortment of facial expressions and always watched Mika so closely. His face brightened up like a sunflower, and, over time, Ferid thought he looked tastier and tastier. His eyes glittered like stars in the night sky while his youthful blood flushed is skin pink like a child meeting his first love.

This Yuichiro was really too cute.

Ferid looked forward to the expression Mika would make when he drained Yu dry right in front of him and predicted it would be even more to his taste. Although children filled with happiness and love were adorable, weren't they most delectable when overwhelmed by despair?

For now, it was sunset, and Ferid slowly opened his eyes.

He had prey to track down after all.


	26. 7 July 1897, Evening

7 July 1897, Evening.

Over the past couple of weeks, Yu and Mika had traversed across Europe. Mika had spent most of his spare time sleeping to recover from his anemia, and Yu had spent most of _his_ free time worrying about his companion. Even though the travel had seemed to push Mika beyond his limits and make him look even more pallid and exhausted than before, Mika had refused to slow down in spite of Yu's urgings to rest.

Only when night fell had Mika acquiesced to settle down and rest instead of constantly keeping moving.

Finally, they reached the northernmost corner of France and entered a city called Dunkirk.

"One of Guren's former subordinates lives up here," said Yu cheerfully as he looked around and hailed a carriage. "She got hitched and moved here about a year ago. Although she has an overly-serious personality, she's one of the nicer clan members."

"Is she still a member, even after she's already left?" asked Mika weakly, panting for breath.

"Yep! One is a member of the clan until death do us part!" replied Yu with an amicable smile, giving the impression he did not quite comprehend the implications of what he just said.

Mika warily raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if Yu would give a sign showing he understood just how ominous that statement was. Mika had second thoughts about contacting Yu's gang. Of course, with vampires chasing them, the pair of fugitives would likely be dead in the near future regardless of which path they chose… And, at least, the choice regarding the Hiragi Real Estate Company had Yuichiro, the one light of his life in this dark and dispassionate world. The thought made Mika's gaze soften.

"What's her name?" he asked, slowly realizing that Yu was waiting for him to ask.

Yu responded with a broad grin.

"Aiko Aihara. If you want someone who won't flinch in the face of those blood-suckers, she's the one you want to find!"

Before long, the party attendees finished their tiresome greetings, and dusk gradually fell on the land. Servants quickly lit the torches lining the garden.

With a solemn nod to her friends, Mitsuba turned and elegantly walked back to the front of garden, masking her tomboyishness with a well-rehearsed show of propriety and decorum. Kimizuki and Yoichi returned to their places and pretended to be servants… Or, in Kimizuki's case, he merely struggled to not stand out too much… Considering the pink hue of his hair, this was easier said than done.

Shinoa slinked into the shadows near Mitsuba's side and avoided notice while Shinya beamed a bright smile at the attendees separated from them to join the other guests.

Aoi Hiragi clinked a spoon against a wine glass. Although the _ding_ was soft, the guests did not dare to give anything less than 100% of their attention to Mrs. Hiragi.

"It is time for my younger sister, Mitsuba, to open her gifts. Everyone, please gather round," said Aoi without even the hint of a smile or joy to show for her younger sibling. "Let us celebrate her seventeenth birthday and wish her good health for the following year."

Mitsuba spoke polite words and occasionally flashed a brilliant smile as she opened various gifts from the party guests. She received new perfumes and expensive but tasteless jewelry and even a few lovely dresses. They were nice, even though they were things she neither lacked nor had any interest in. The boys who wanted to court her spoke laboriously about how grand their gifts were, and she did her best to feign gratitude…

…Even though these boys had just been fawning over her sister, who was very much married, just a moment ago, did they really expect they could trick her into thinking their feelings were genuine?

They probably just didn't care that much. After all, her sister was more talented, more mature, and more powerful than she was.

Finally, the last of the gifts were given, and Mitsuba felt her fatigue grow heavy. The _real_ party with her _true_ friends would be later this week, but this formal event was finally, and thankfully, drawing to a close. Before long, she would be able to excuse herself. The guests had all begun chatting with each other instead of paying her any attention.

She got up and moved to step away when a hand firmly gripped her wrist.

Bewildered, Mitsuba turned around to see Aoi standing behind her. With the glow of the fireworks, Aoi's golden hair and icy blue eyes almost seemed to glimmer with a flicker of warmth.

"Aoi...?" asked Mitsuba softly, wondering why her glaringly superior elder sister would escape the spotlight and come to her side.

With a face as stiff as stone, and nearly as congenial, Aoi shoved a small black box into Mitsuba's hands.

"Happy birthday," said Aoi perfunctorily before walking away as quickly as she came.

Mitsuba blinked and glanced at her sister's back and back to the box in her hands.

Was this… a birthday present? From her elder sister, the same one who never spared her so much as a glance after she had her debut into high society? That super-stern, ice goddess-like older sibling who was as perfect as she was unfriendly and unaffectionate?

Mitsuba's hands trembled as she clasped that box like it was a sacred treasure that would jump out of her hands at any moment. Her heart raced more than it had when all those young men had fawned over her, and she was far happier to receive recognition from that phlegmatic person than to even celebrate her birthday at all.

Instead of revealing a fake smile to show her gratitude, a genuine one tugged at the corners of her lips. Aoi left before Mitsuba could give her thanks, and Mitsuba decided to go somewhere slightly less conspicuous to open her gift.

She quickly walked off to a corner of the garden before opening the small box. Shinoa appeared at her side like a phantom as the lid came off. Mitsuba slipped her fingers inside and pulled out a black ribbon. It was as wide as half of her index finger and smooth without any blemishes. It was a shocking three-feet long. Even though it was simple and the most bland of any gifts she had received today, it made her eyes sparkle more than any of them simply because it was a gift from her sister.

"A ribbon?" asked Shinoa.

"Mn," grunted Mitsuba, too happy to form words. Unlike the expensive, elaborate things, this one could be worn out in public. She could use it as a hair ribbon, a hair band, a neck ribbon… or anything else she could come up with if she could calm down enough to think.

"Well, that's nice of her," commented Shinoa gently, without any sarcasm for once.

"Mn."

The two heard a commotion, and Mitsuba quickly put the simple gift back in its box. She scowled, looking at the source of the noise before her youthful face grimaced.

"It's… Seishiro," muttered Shinoa, sharing an uneasy glance with her friend.

A man in his mid-twenties was drunk and jovial at the entrance to the garden. He was tall with narrow, antagonistic eyes and a black mohawk. He was Seishiro Hiragi, the Hiragi sibling most reputed as a foolish coward and a wastrel with eyes only for sordid pleasures. Even though his social status was high by birth, no one had grand expectations for him. Compared to Kureto and Mahiru Hiragi, the two famous geniuses of the Hiragi Clan, he was considered a worthless prodigal of the clan. Even when compared to Shinya, who was merely an adopted son, he was much weaker.

Although he was a strong and athletic young man when compared to the average person, it was an open secret that Kureto, the future head of the Hiragi Clan, thought of him as a disgrace.

The man was quite rambunctious, and Mitsuba watched as he strutted up to a slender blond woman and began flirting. The blond woman turned around. She was Aoi Hiragi, Seishiro's terrifying brother's even more terrifying wife. His face turned white.

Seishiro stiffened abruptly, even appearing to tremble, as he retreated before redirecting the conversation with his lackeys.

Mitsuba's eye twitched, and Shinoa snorted.

"Oh dear," muttered Mitsuba.

"Shinoa, just how many siblings do you have again?" asked Yoichi, sneaking over to them. "Do they all cause this much trouble?"

"I had a half-sister, Mahiru, but she passed away a few years ago," answered Shinoa without the slightest show of sorrow. "I now have two half-brothers, one adopted brother, and one sister-in-law remaining!"

"All of your blood-related siblings are half-siblings?" asked Kimizuki, having also managed to sneak over.

"That's right," she said enthusiastically. "Apparently, our father eloped with a woman when he was younger, but she was killed since she didn't measure up to the clan's standards. Ever since then, he refused to settle down and marry anyone. Instead, he fathered children by a few different women. None of us have the same mother, and I have little information on our mothers. Given how the Hiragi Clan is, they might have even been killed after giving birth."

Yoichi made an uneasy expression while Kimizuki looked more puzzled.

"What is your dad like?" he probed.

"Hm… I'm not sure. Reaaaaallly stern and scary?" she answered in an uncertain tone. "I don't know. I've only ever met him a couple of times. Mahiru did her best to keep me away from him. He never took care of me or bothered to send anyone to look after me. I've mostly raised myself… I guess Mahiru, followed by Shinya and Guren, all took care of me, though. They're the only ones I can really consider to be family. Kureto's not bad, but he's got a lot on his shoulders."

Mitsuba cracked her neck and sighed. As one of the few knowing about Shinoa's family situation, she wasn't surprised to hear any of this.

"I think I'm going to go ahead and leave early," she began. "I think I'll take a walk and then go to bed. Boring events like this tire me out the most."

"Do you want someone to come with you?" offered Yoichi automatically.

"No, I'll be fine," she said, stretching her shoulders. "I just want to get away from all of this… _noise_."

"Alright," he replied with a jovial smile. "By the way, happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!" chimed the others abruptly as if Yoichi had just reminded them the reason for this celebration was to celebrate her birthday. It felt like such a business party that the date had actually started to slip their minds.

"Yes, yes," replied Mitsuba with a roll of her eyes. "I'll have more fun with you guys tomorrow. My parents said they had a special gift for me. Same time, same place?"

After making plans to meet her friends the next day, Mitsuba escaped the party and went for a stroll down the street. The road was well-lit and in a rich neighborhood. Thanks to the protection of the Hiragi Clan and the clans under them enforcing the law, the criminals who dared encroach on their territory never lived to see another sunrise. Under the protection, few police or common gangsters would dare to defy them right in their own territory.

Mitsuba enjoyed the sound of crickets chirping as she finally got a chance to be alone for the first time all day. From the time she had awoken until the start of the party, she had been busy with preparations. Fortunately, Shinoa came by to lighten up the mood like a great sunbeam splitting through the rain clouds, but there were still a lot of clouds—both literally and metaphorically.

Mitsuba sighed as she looked up the starless sky. She envied Yu at this moment. He got to escape and go on a grand adventure across several countries while she was stuck here, enshrouded by power plays and consigned to husband-hunting.

Speaking of potential husbands, very few unmarried men under the Hiragi's jurisdiction could be called her peers, let alone her superiors, which meant it wasn't especially difficult to predict her likely marital options. Those options included Shinya Hiragi, who was both competent and capable. He was a very attractive man and acted more like Shinoa's big brother than any of her bona fide relatives. He was probably the best choice, but Mitsuba thought of him somewhat like an older brother since she grew up with Shinoa, whom he often checked up on.

There was also Seishiro Hiragi. Although he was a true-blooded Hiragi and technically held more power than Shinya, he was incompetent and cowardly. Worse yet, he had the reputation of being excessively fond of drinking and gambling, and Mitsuba could not expect him to be useful as a husband. And, if that wasn't enough, she had witnessed him slapping and otherwise acting with malicious contempt toward Shinya, who was obviously superior to him in every way other than his bloodline. He had an unparalleled inferiority complex.

Another option was Norito Goshi, who worked closely under Guren Ichinose. He was a flirt and a womanizer who smoked way too much for anyone with a nose to tolerate. He had a pretty laid-back personality, but Mitsuba disliked how he stank and wanted a husband with more passion. Besides, he obviously fancied another reputable daughter of his generation, Mito Jujo… Although that miss was in her twenties already, rumors stated she refused to get married because she was pining after Guren Ichinose.

Guren himself was technically an option, but there was no way Mitsuba could relax around him. He had always acted something like her boss. Besides, ever since his fiancée had died, he acted as if he'd lost his soul. Worse yet, Mitsuba could easily think of at least three different women who would literally kill someone to get into bed with him, and she really did not want to be that someone.

Mitsuba supposed her parents might resort to setting her up with someone beneath her station, but she didn't like the idea of marrying someone she hardly knew.

Heck. Maybe she should just find an attractive, adventure-loving man of her own and elope…

…Honestly, if not for the fact her parents would have him murdered, that _was_ the most appealing option.

Mitsuba sighed as she stretched her back and enjoyed the moist evening air. Perhaps she should return now?

Mitsuba spun around, letting a shed of playfulness escape as her pastel pink dress twirled around her.

She heard some laughter and drunken chatter approaching her. Seishiro and his goons were up ahead. Apparently, they had wisely chosen to leave—or, more likely, Shinya and Aoi had "politely" advised him to leave… This would have been great earlier, but now they were between her and her estate.

As she wondered if she should take a detour, the older men noticed her. They were all roughly in their mid-twenties, and each of them was at least twice her size.

"Heeeeeeeeyy, Mee-tsuuu-baaaah Sannnguuu," cooed Seishiro as he wobbled in place. She wasn't sure, but she suspected he was even more drunk than before. She wasn't quite certain if that was impressive or disgusting, but she was leaning heavily in favor of the latter. He leaned on his henchmen to keep standing. "You're not a bad looker, y'knowwww? You even got big TITS! Wassay you an' me get married?"

Mitsuba's eye twitched.

Oh, yes. He was drunk. He was very, very drunk.

Although crime rates here were very low, no one could defy the Hiragi, even if he were as disappointing as Seishiro.

Forcing her stiff face to have a polite smile, she buried her grimace.

"Good evening, Mr. Hiragi," she forced out.

"Yup," he mumbled, lurching toward her and grabbing her wrist. Rather than her face, his eyes were glued to her chest. As much as it made her hair stand on end, she endured it. Even so, she really, _really_ wanted to break his nose.

If she beat him up, wouldn't she be killed for insubordination?

"How about you and me," he mumbled, his breath reeking of alcohol as his exhaled in her face, "go on a… on a… Come visit my manor?" He was even too drunk to even form coherent sentences. For the Hiragi who must keep their guard up at all times against the government and other criminal organizations, this behavior was intolerable.

Even so, the punishment for defying him would probably be worse than giving in to his revolting and dishonorable demands… And it was her duty to serve the Hiragi. That said, the Hiragi she chose to serve was Shinoa, who treated her more as a friend and comrade than a subordinate, not this loose trash with no hope of a future.

A chill crawled down her neck. Surely, Shinoa had anticipated this and made plans to restrain this degenerate, right? Even a sadist like her wouldn't leave her best friend to be debauched by a drunken idiot, right? Right?

She suddenly recalled when Shinoa jumped her in the park and felt up her breasts in public for all to see. This perversity wasn't a genetic thing, was it?

"Oh...?" came a deep voice with a faint but crisp accent from across the street. "I believe the young lady would like to be left in peace."

Mitsuba, Seishiro, and his goons turned to look at the source. A tall, muscular man with broad shoulders walked forward as if parting from the shadows. His steps were eerily silent as if he were naught but a phantom. As he stepped into the light, his maroon bangs drifted away from his heroic-looking face. Mitsuba wasn't certain, but she thought she saw the flicker of a mahogany braid.

It was clear this man wasn't from here.

Like a demon in the night, his eyes seemed to have a red tint.


	27. 7 July 1897, Night

7 July 1897, Night.

"Heh…?" mumbled Seishiro, looking confused. He squinted through the darkness of the lamplit street at the muscular foreign man. Even so, Mitsuba suspected he was so drunk that he wouldn't be able to see clearly no matter how hard he squinted.

Meanwhile, Seishiro's entourage and Mitsuba studied the unfamiliar man more closely.

He was quite handsome with masculine features. He was an impressively-built Caucasian man with pallid skin, who stood at an imposing height of over six-foot tall. His bangs were a dark red, but the rest of his hair appeared to be a darker brown. He stepped forward, moving ever-so-slowly into the light. Every movement carried an air of graceful poise and silent dignity, much as would a pious knight entering a village stricken by darkness. His mien seemed wholly at odds with his disreputable surroundings and his small audience even more so. His movements were so smooth and his muscle so sculpted, it was clear he was an expert in combat.

Was he a new recruit of the Hiragi or Sangu Clans? Even though the clans were predominantly Asian, Caucasian heritage grew thicker with every generation born in Europe. Although outsiders couldn't participate as elders, they could still act as soldiers, and it was increasingly normal to accept exceptional non-Asian combatants into their ranks. However, Mitsuba didn't recognize him. Perhaps he was a guest from another country? That would explain the accent, but then he would surely know better than to lecture a member of the Hiragi Clan, wouldn't he? Even the most ignorant of mercenaries would know better.

"Who is this guy?" asked one of Seishiro's henchmen.

 _He's not one of their guests_ , concluded Mitsuba quickly.

Seishiro's grip on her wrist slackened, and she abruptly shook it off. Seishiro ignored her and instead meandered over to the stranger with his drunken wobble.

"Whooo are yoooou to tell me what to do, huh?" asked Seishiro with his classic condescending tone.

The stranger smiled gently. Although it was a smile that should make a bright day feel even brighter, it had clear intent that froze Mitsuba's heart solid. This man was staring down one of the Hiragi heirs without the slightest fear! He clearly had no idea how much clout Seishiro had.

"I'm just a passing stranger with slightest sense of decency," admitted the stranger without any hesitation.

Seishiro's eyes seemed to twitch.

"Well, I am Seishiro Hiragi," announced Seishiro, "one of the great heirs to—"

Before Mitsuba could blink, Seishiro slumped to the ground. The foreign man stood right next to him. Confused, Mitsuba felt like she was moving in slow motion as Seishiro's followers cursed and quickly pulled out a variety of small-arms weapons, including knives and pistols. They aimed at him.

Their efforts were futile, and the muscular man was soon in the midst of their group, leaving them stunned.

They clumsily pointed their guns at their incomprehensibly fast target.

"Don't kill them!" advised Mitsuba suddenly, leaving Seishiro's henchmen baffled. Her intuition told her that the stranger's skill level was beyond what these men could handle. "He has a high social standing!" she explained quickly, trying to explain that she wasn't protecting them because she liked them. "Just beat them up, and I'll take care of the clean-up!"

One of the goons shot her a scathing look. Was she looking down on the personal body guards of the one and only Seishiro Hiragi?

On the other hand, the stranger looked puzzled before showing her a soft smile.

Then, bullets ripped through the air, and people slammed against the pavement.

Like a skilled martial artist, the unfamiliar man appeared to dance. With every movement, another goon fell. Their bullets flew wide as their target spun away, and their knives struck naught but air. Mitsuba's eyes grew wide with wonder as she fought to follow the man's movement, but he was naught but a blur.

He was one of the most skilled hand-to-hand combatants she had ever seen, perhaps even more skilled than Guren or Shinya. Her heart raced in excitement as she witnessed his obscene level of mastery. If she hadn't heard tales of such skilled masters in times gone by, she would have even thought he were spirit unlimited by the constraints of the human body.

Another man fell. One cried out with pain before his voice was suddenly cut off. A revolver clanged uselessly against the ground.

Before long, there were only three, then two, then one person remaining to stand against the heroic man.

Mitsuba's heart thumped as the man sent the last of Seishiro's goons crumpling to the ground.

With a lazy smile, as if defeating those men had not even been a warm-up for him, the man bowed perfunctorily in Mitsuba's direction.

"Do take care, milady," he said gently before walking away. Taking a turn at the first corner, he disappeared into the night.

Mitsuba stood frozen, staring in a daze and watching as the night seemed to swallow him up. Someone so skilled, almost unnaturally so… Surely, the Hiragi would stop at nothing to snatch him up.

It was a long moment before she regained her sensibilities and looked at the tangle of men lying uselessly on the street.

She really hoped they wouldn't remember her saying she would take care of them once that mysterious stranger wiped them out... Seishiro wasn't too bad of a guy, except when he was drunk or showing off—at least, according to Shinoa.

"Well, well… That really is quite impressive," said Shinya, stepping out of the shadows and startling Mitsuba. He approached the scene and nodding with respect. Mitsuba had never even noticed he was nearby. "I thought I was going to have to threaten to tattle on him to Kureto again, but it ended pretty quickly."

Shinoa, Yoichi, and Kimizuki appeared right behind him.

Mitsuba's eye twitched as she wondered just how long her friends had been watching and when they planned to make a move. If they had stepped out earlier, then couldn't some drama have been avoided?

"He was a very tall, muscular man," reported Kimizuki, "with an accent. He defeated everyone within seconds."

Mistuba glanced at her pink-haired friend. Apparently, he had trailed behind her just in case, so she'd never truly been alone. If it had been anyone other than Seishiro or another Hiragi, then the two of them could have just beaten him up and be done with it. Unfortunately, Seishiro's status made things a touch more complicated, and Kimizuki had reported to Shinya to manage it instead.

"A tall, muscular man?" echoed Shinya in a coy undertone, thinking hard with his hand on his chin.

"He was over six-foot tall," stated Mitsuba, "and… extremely skilled."

"And extremely _handsome!_ This is very important!" exclaimed Shinoa, butting in.

"Shi-no-ah!" scolded Mitsuba, her blue eyes flashing with irritation as she glared at her supposed friend.

"Ahahahaha!" laughed Shinoa. "Anyway, I don't know of anyone matching that description moving into this area recently. He must have kept a low profile, moved in today, or else walked a distance from another district. I will look into it more deeply… After all, I _do_ want to help Mitsuba's love life—Eh? Where did you pull that knife from?"

Shinoa dodged as a Mitsuba lunged at her with small, hiltless knife. The metal glinted threateningly as it reflected light from the lamps and brushed inches away from her flat chest.

"Oh, Mitsuba," goaded Shinoa as her shit-eating grin grew brighter, "I know this is just your way of hiding your embarrassment."

After a few more poignant lunges to vent her irritation at her best friend, Mitsuba sighed, calming down as she ceased her attacks. Shinoa remained utterly unharmed, peaking shamelessly from behind a tree.

"Oh, how scary," she cooed, feigning fear.

"He moved so fast," admitted Mitsuba slowly, ignoring her annoying-but-somehow-lovable best friend, "that I could hardly seem him move…"

"It sounds like bringing him into the Hiragi Clan would definitely boost our power," said Shinya. "Anyway, with Shinoa looking into it, we should have our answers soon. Meanwhile…" Shinya's eyes glanced over at Seishiro with a concerned smile. "I'll get these useless lumps of flesh dragged back home. Shinoa can have the honor of debriefing them in the morning."

"Yay!" shouted Shinoa childishly as she raised a fist in the hair. "It sounds like my elder brother Seishiro and I need to have a long talk about the hearts of women."

Yoichi and Kimizuki cringed, doing their best to avoid thinking about what this "long talk" would consist of.

"A ha ha…" laughed Yoichi far more nervously than Shinoa had. "Anyway, now that Shinya has taken care of it, the rest of us can escort Mitsuba back."

"Yes, yes!" shouted Shinoa jovially. "We must escort our precious princess to her castle, away from the nasty hoodlums who planned to do indecent things to her!"

Mitsuba moaned and rubbed her face. She wondered how many weeks it would be until Shinoa quit teasing her about this incident.

Mika stared wide-eyed at the rifle pointed at his face, his heart pumping vigorously.

"Eh, Yu…?" he began nervously, his throat uncomfortably dry. "This person is a friend of yours, right?"

"Now, now, Aiko… Captain Aihara," said Yu, awkwardly pushing the barrel of the gun out of his friend's face, "this is a good friend of mine. His name is Mika—er, or, actually it's Mikaela…"

A woman with hair half-pulled back into a ponytail wore form-fitting clothing as she studied the pair of teenagers with a stern expression. She slowly stepped back into her house, rifle still trained on the pair.

"Come in," she ordered them.

The two didn't dally and quickly followed her direction. She closed the door behind them and pointed her rifle back at their pair. They uneasily raised their arms up in a sign of surrender.

"Where is Lord Guren?" she asked, voice cold but still somehow sounding like it could erupt like a volcano at any moment. She had always been extremely protective over her comrades, which was one of the reasons Yu sought her out, even if she had supposedly retired.

Yu's expression fell, and Aiko's finger twitched on the trigger.

"He passed away," answered Mika quickly, hoping she wouldn't get too impatient and fire immediately.

"How?"

"He was killed by… Ferid Bathory," he answered carefully, all too aware of her twitching trigger finger. The rifle was kept close enough to be a sure shot but far away enough to prevent him from slapping it out of this woman's hands. This lady was clearly a seasoned fighter. Mika knew she would shoot him if he made any suspicious movements, whether he was supposedly Yu's friend or not. Even though she was a human and not a vampire, Mika had the peculiar feeling she really was more dangerous than one of those blood-sucking monsters.

"Ferid Bathory?" asked Aiko, her gaze growing menacing.

"An evil blood-sucking Romanian count!" added Yu, cautiously stepping between the gun and Mika. "Thanks to Guren, we managed to escape from him! I sent letters to Shinya, Shinoa, and Yoichi, but I haven't been contacted by any of them. We've been constantly on the move since we left Vienna. I want to… avenge him," said Yu, his voice dropping slightly.

Aiko's dark brown eyes narrowed into slits as she intently studied the two teenage boys before her. Yu, the little brat Guren had always favored, had grown to look more like a man. He'd finally lost the baby fat on his cheeks, and his eyes appeared haunted like the rest of Guren's subordinates who'd been to the battlefield. He still gave the impression of being naïve, but he came off as more mature than before.

The young man with him was beautiful in a semi-dead sort of way. He looked soft and delicate like a flower to be plucked. He appeared pale and sickly, and his breathing was erratic. A green bruise peeked out from the collar on his neck. Even in this summer heat, he wore long sleeves and kept his neck hidden, making Aiko suspect he was hiding even more bruises or other distinctive markings like tattoos or scars. Although he was surprised by the rifle in his face, he remained calm and didn't flee. He didn't panic and didn't scream. There was a calm but haunted look to his eyes, hinting to the hell which had scarred his soul…

Furthermore, he kept watching her face instead of watching the gun. He either knew how to fight or didn't care about his life. It was hard to say. Perhaps both were true. Although he looked like a doll, he was tough and gave the impression of having experienced a lot at his age.

Both of the young men appeared gaunt with heavy bags under their eyes. They didn't seem to be lying.

Aiko nodded with approval at them and slowly lowered her rifle.

"Have a seat," she instructed them. "I will serve some tea, and then I want to hear the full story. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" answered Yu quickly.

Mika nodded in her direction.

Aiko turned to the kitchen to begin boiling the water. She heard the pair shuffle over to the lounge.

"I like her," came Mika's voice somewhat breathlessly.

She smiled.

Yu helped Mika onto the sofa and looked at him with a somewhat hurt expression. It took Yu _how many_ weeks just to get Mika to merely _tolerate_ his presence, and yet Aiko wins him over within minutes by shoving a gun in his face?

If Yu had pulled a gun on him the first chance he got, then would Mika have been nicer from the start?

Quite offended, Yu pouted and stared at Mika.

Mika, sensing his gaze, glanced upward.

Yu continued staring.

As the seconds slowly ticked on by, Mika's expression grew stiff and then gradually became flustered before he looked away.

Yu's face grew smug, and his lips curved upward in cocky grin. Suddenly, he didn't feel jealous of Aiko anymore.

He plopped down on the sofa next to Mika and flung an arm over his friend's shoulders, quite pleased by the fact he could cause Mika to change his expression so much with a mere gaze.

"It's hot," complained Mika, but he didn't swat Yu's hand away.

Yu's smile grew wider and he snuggled up more closely to Mika. Mika's cheeks burned pink.

Aiko watched the pair with a flat expression. It was abundantly clear that Guren hadn't managed to change Yu's sexual preferences even up until the end. If it was like this, then Guren wouldn't get any grandchildren even after passing away, would he?

 _Oh, Guren_ , she thought solemnly. _How is this kid going to get on without you?_

"You're being chased by undead blood-sucking demons who can be killed by sunlight, beheading, or destroying their heads, and these are the ones who plotted against and killed Guren? And Mika is the bait for them," summarized Aiko after the boys had recounted their flight from Bathory's castle. Although their tale was completely fantastical, she maintained a stoic expression.

"Ah, well, he's not exactly b—" began Yu.

"If he isn't bait, then he's nothing but a burden. He can't even reveal their secrets. Plus, there's a risk that he'll turn against us at any time. He has no other use. We can keep him as a hostage or prisoner, but that's all," she explained in a tone that left no room for argument.

Yu looked uncomfortable. Unlike him, Mika calmly drank more tea. He didn't disagree with Aiko's assessment.

"But—" began Yu again.

"She's right," said Mika, butting in.

Yu frowned.

"I'm tired," said Mika with a sigh, appearing haggard. "Do you have anywhere I can rest?"

It was already late in the night, and his health was clearly poor. Whether he was ill solely from anemia or something else was hard to say. Regardless, Aiko nodded.

"Yes," she answered, gesturing to a hallway. "Right this way."

She let Mika walk in front of her to the guest bedroom, where he gratefully settled in. Aiko shut his door behind her and returned to the lounge. Yu still had petulant look on his face. Aiko sighed and returned to sitting in the armchair in front of him. She relaxed a bit more now that the two of them had some privacy.

She refilled her cup of tea and brought it to her lips.

"Yu," she began slowly, "you realize that's a man, right? You can't marry him, and you can't have children with him. Guren would be disappointed in you."

Honestly, the passionate looks Yu kept throwing at Mika had made her feel uncomfortable all evening. Someone was very clearly in a honeymoon phase, and he had no shame letting everyone know. Even when Aiko had gone on missions with him, Guren had always complained about this side of Yu.

" _Why can't he like girls like normal boys?"_ Lord Guren used to lament as if he were a single parent raising a teenager. Guren's perplexed and bewildered expression left a strong impression on her the last time she saw him.

"Yep," answered Yu with a serious expression, "but, as Shinoa says, he's a man who sets my loins on fire."

Aiko choked on her tea, spluttering as soon as she comprehended his words. Coughing, she wiped her mouth.

"Yu!" she exclaimed with a scowl. She didn't know who this Shinoa person was, but he or she was clearly a bad influence!

Yu grinned at her sheepishly before laughing.

"You know, Captain, I've kissed girls before. Everyone said it was great, but I never cared for it. It's kind of gross and slobbery. Kissing boys felt completely different, though… That always felt really good. Between seeing a naked woman and a naked man, the man is definitely more attractive. Girls are nice, but they don't get me excited."

"Yu, you know one of Lord Guren's greatest wishes was to see you get married to a woman one day and have kids of your own," said Aiko, regaining her serious aura. "Furthermore, he's the target the enemy is seeking. You are hiding in a house with only me to support you, and he's in grave danger. Odds are, he won't survive this battle you have planned. He'll be killed by the enemy or else _euthanized_ because he invites too much danger. He does nothing for the company other than bringing them more danger. Although he can act as a hostage now, he will outlive his usefulness once the company wipes them out. Honestly, he's incurring a tremendous debt by asking the company to save him, and he has no way to pay them back. Battles are expensive, and there is nothing for the company to gain from this other than getting revenge for Lord Guren's death."

"The vampires are said to be immortal," said Yu, doing his hardest to repeat the words he rehearsed with Mika. "Rather than… _protecting_ Mika, they can use Mika to lure those things in and capture them. The vampires themselves can be the payment. They are cunning and have mysterious abilities. I'm sure the upper brass would like to dissect them!"

"You want to use the vampires as payment? Considering how useful their distinctive abilities may be to the Hiragi, that might be acceptable now, but what about afterward? Even if you get a discount, the Hiragi Company is pricey. We don't know how many of them there are and have no reason to protect Mika once we capture those monsters."

"That… I will pay for it," said Yu. "I will protect him."

"The company may pay you more attention because you have so much potential, but is this kid really worth it? Last I checked, you only had the status of a grunt. Unless you got promoted since then, you don't get paid much. Besides, I thought you preferred more muscular, soldier-like tough men."

"A 300-plus pound bloodsucker took me down in an alley, and Mika appeared out of nowhere and blew his head off with a rifle, turning him into a pile of ash before he could do anything more than bite me," said Yu, raising his eyebrow. "Mika was so anemic back then, he could hardly walk, but he still killed the fucker… His condition has actually improved since then."

"Hm… You're saying," continued Aiko thoughtfully, "that he has the mindset of a warrior...? If his health recovers and he can prove himself by earning employment in the company, then he would be able to receive more support… That all depends on how useful he makes himself, though, and he would still sacrifice his freedom for his life."

"He's super-smart!" added Yu optimistically.

"Compared to you, anyone's smart," retorted Aiko.

Yu faked a heart-broken expression.

"Anyway, we _might_ be able to get him accepted by the company if we use this battle as something like a job interview for him… If he does well, he might be taken under the company's wing. That said, his situation could end up close to slavery, depending on how exactly things go. Does he really want to join the company? Once he joins, he won't be able to leave their control so long as his heart is still beating."

Mika listened quietly from his doorway. He had cracked open the bedroom door just enough to hear their voices.

He frowned, uncertain about where they would go from here.

As the person who brought blood-sucking demons to their door step, the so-called "real estate company" would treat him as an enemy, wouldn't they? If he acted like a man with a business proposition for them, then, perhaps, this might go more smoothly for him…

Of course, that only mattered if Ferid would allow him to reach England in the first place.


	28. 8 July 1897

8 July 1897.

The sun was still up. As an ancient vampire, Ferid often fell asleep after sunrise and woke before sunset. As long as he kept the sunlight from touching his skin, it wasn't a problem… But, of course, there was no reason for the humans to know this.

Ferid pulled his long silver hair up into a bun on the top of his head. He then donned his clothing, careful to choose a shirt with a high collar and a long jacket to go with it. After slipping on a pair of white gloves, he placed a wide-rimmed top hat on his head over his bun to shelter his head from the painful sunlight. Although being awake during daylight hours was a great advantage for the elder vampires, it was not without its inconveniences… Even when such vampires were capable of changing their own flesh into clothing, said "clothing" was still as vulnerable to sunlight as any parts of their body were. Many vampires learned this the hard way when they set out under the sun for the first time and their clothing, followed closely by their skin, abruptly burst into flames.

Likewise, his lovely hair would be set on fire under the purifying light of the sun… Although this was only a minor physical problem that was easily fixed by further transformations or the intake of blood, it would draw far more attention in public than he desired at this moment.

He meandered through a nameless French town trying to recall the scenery he saw through Mika's eyes.

Before long, he saw across a lovely out-of-the way cottage on the town's outskirts.

With his charming good looks (and a hefty tip), he convinced one of that house's neighbors to invite him in for tea. He sipped the tea lightly, neither vomiting it up nor gulping it down. Although the taste made him gag a little, it was nothing he couldn't keep down—as long as he didn't drink the entire pot on his own, of course.

"I noticed quite a lovely cottage down the way," began Ferid with a charming, human-like business smile. "Do you know who owns it?"

"That cottage belongs to Monsieur Abel Dubois and his wife, Madame Aiko," answered the man.

"Aiko? What an unusual name," commented Ferid.

"Yes. She's a foreigner. She was born in Japan and immigrated to England. When she grew up, she began traveling and met her future husband. They are both fond of traveling, those two."

After gleaning as much information as he could about Madame Aiko, whom he suspected he would soon meet, he deftly guided the conversation to a hundred meandering topics until the sun set.

The man did not realize this was his last day as a free man until the charming businessman before him suddenly turned savage and pierced his wrist with monstrous, inhuman fangs. Although he tried to scream, the monster before him smothered his final struggles and his last chance for salvation.

Aiko Dubois, formerly Aiko Aihara of the Ichinose Clan, had no knowledge that her neighbor had been attacked by a blood-sucking monster of nightmares.

Mika and Aiko had stayed awake for most of the day, and Yu had spent the previous night keeping watch. One thing Aiko found to be quite peculiar was that he would frequently go into Mika's room and watch him sleep for up to half an hour of time or more. Her first thought was that this behavior was bizarre and more than a little creepy, but then she recalled how these fantastical creatures they were hiding from could supposedly seize control of a person's very mind. Yuu had also divulged that he woke up to find the nastiest one of them gnawing on Mika in the middle of the night.

When Mika got up, Yu took his place in the bed.

As the evening wore on, Yu finally stumbled out of the bedroom. His shirt was only half-tucked in, and he had a dazed expression. His messy black hair was clearly uncombed and added to his careless, sleepy appearance.

Mika fussed over him, brushing his fingers through Yu's hair to make it tidy and advising Yu to tuck in his shirt. They moved with such familiar intimacy that they reminded Aiko of her own moments with her husband. Her husband, whose true identity was a spy working for the Hiragi, had left on a mission the previous month and had yet to return. His assignments could take him away for several months at a time, which is one reason why the couple created the cover about them liking to travel.

At any rate, their proximity and mutual trust made her uncomfortable. If what they said was true, then Mika would betray them at any moment, right?

Aiko calmly began brewing coffee to awaken that little orphan up for night watch.

She watched with guarded attention as Mika approached her, leaving Yu looking more well-kept but still half-asleep.

"Madame, I know our tale is quite… far-fetched and implausible," said the lad with a grimace, "but I hope you can believe us. We will be on our way as soon as we can."

"There is nothing to believe," said Aiko after a moment with a thoughtful expression dawning her face. "So long as I shoot those monsters, the truth will become clear."

According to what the boys said, these immortal demons were nigh-implacable foes who would pursue their quarry relentlessly, even after having sustained fatal injuries, unless one destroyed their heads. In other words, most of the assassination and killing techniques used by the Hiragi, which had been used over the ages to end the lives of everyone from beggars to kings, would do little more than delay a vampire's inexorable pursuit. If she successfully killed them, they would turn to ash. These were clearly inhuman feats. If they were inhuman, she would proceed with caution and snipe them as needed. If they were human, then she would continue to kill them like she always had. Even if they had not killed Guren, they harassed and hunted down the child Guren doted on most and treated like his own child. For Aiko, who worked under Guren's lead for years until her marriage, this was a grave sin worthy of death. Regardless of whether they were humans or monsters, only one ending awaited them.

"Ah… Yes," agreed Mika, blinking slowly. He clearly did not expect Aiko to be so accepting and realistic in regard to handling the situation.

Aiko smirked at his surprised expression.

Mika returned to Yu's side and sat next to him at the dining room table.

"I really like her after all," she heard him mutter to Yu.

"Me, too!" agreed Yu, perking up as the scent of coffee wafted to his nose.

Aiko, herself, decided that Mika probably wasn't so bad. Although he was a pretty boy, he wasn't a playboy, and she admired his no-nonsense attitude. The shadows of his past would probably haunt him for many years, or even decades, to come, but he appeared intelligent and mature for his age. She suspected his suffering and long captivity lent Mika a calm and collected, if somewhat bleak, demeanor, which was uncommon in people even twice his age... If circumstances were different, she suspected his maturity would have led to a successful career.

Although such things had never bothered her much before, now that she hoped to become a mother someday, wouldn't wish any child to grow up while still so young.

That night passed with everyone feeling like they were walking on eggshells, but it ended uneventfully. Mika went to bed after discussing things about the Hiragi Clan and England itself with Aiko. Aiko retired late in the night but frequently got up to check on Yu, who once again kept night watch.

Staying up late made her groggy, and exhaustion caused her to linger abed much longer than usual. Since the boys planned to leave after resting for a couple of more days, Aiko purchased boat tickets for them once she dragged herself out of bed and headed into town. While out, she also bought groceries since her company had already emptied her cabinets, and she ran some other errands.

It was early evening when she returned. Dusk had set in, but it was not yet nightfall.

She moved cautiously, eyeing her surroundings and the best ambush points as well as the ideal sniping locations an assailant would take against her home. Nothing seemed particularly ominous, but she didn't let her guard down.

And then, the sound of shattered glass split the air, and a splash of flames lit up her living room. The shouting voices of two young men rang out from within, clearly expressing their alarm.

Dropping her groceries but keeping her purse, she pulled out a pistol and sprinted forward, eyes calmly seeking the arsonist.

Kicking open the gate to her yard, she aimed her gun at a petite figure wearing a wide-rimmed hat, long coat, and gloves. It was the middle of July near the Dover Straight, meaning the air was both hot and humid. Standing so close to the flames, it could only be hotter.

Wearing such a get-up could only mean one of two things… First, the person wanted to hide his or her identity. If that were the case, then that person would have run by now. The second option was…

It couldn't be true that the sun's rays would immediately burn this person to ash, could it?

Aiko narrowed her eyes and held her pistol steady at her target, entrusting the task of saving the house to both Yu and Mika.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Aiko in perfect French and unmistakable killing intent.

The heavily-clothed figure turned away from the window slowly and faced Aiko, apparently unperturbed by the gun pointing at her chest. She smiled a wicked, crooked smile, and Aiko noticed her canine teeth were particularly long. Was it possible that this woman was actually a—

Suddenly feeling a chill, Aiko changed her aim from the girl's chest to her head.

"Noin Teta," answered the young woman's voice. Her ruby red lips glistened eerily in the night. The woman tilted her head, and the fire made her eyes flash with a hint of red.

Listening to her instincts, Aiko didn't hesitate and fired her pistol.

Noin Teta's hat was blown off along with her left ear and part of her cheek, leaving dark streaks of blood marring the long, platinum hair which suddenly blew free.

The young woman cursed. Now that the hat was gone, Aiko saw that her ears were indeed pointed and her irises a startling inhuman red, just as Yu and Mika had told her. The figure was petite and small but clearly a young woman. What child could withstand such pain and act with such determination? She glared viciously and charged at Aiko with a manic grin.

Aiko helplessly pulled the trigger, the now-empty pistol producing only dry clicks as the little devil raced toward her. Aiko's heart beat noisily in her chest as her eyes grew wide. An expression of terror encompassed Aiko's face, and the creature laughed maliciously as she drew a knife.

Then, Aiko's face abruptly lost all expression, baffling Noin Teta.

Her purse dropped from her arm, revealing a fully-loaded six-chamber revolver in her left hand.

Noin Teta's expression twitched, but she was already too close to flee. Unlike the more advanced vampires, her agility and strength were hardly any greater than a human man's. If Aiko had revealed her trump card from the start without baiting Noin Teta to charge into close range, then she would have been able to dodge and either escape or counterattack.

However, the little monster had completely fallen into Aiko's trap, and it was far too late for her.

Aiko unloaded the revolver into Noin Teta's head, splattering her brain matter across the previously clean and well-kept lawn.

The body stood, awkwardly twitching for a moment, until it twisted unnaturally and suddenly dissipated into ash.

Seeing that creature turn into ash was what truly made Aiko's blood run cold.

This thing really wasn't human. In that case, then was everything else Yu and Mika said true?

 _Fortunately, their intelligence doesn't appear to grow with their power_ , thought Aiko. _What kind of moron brings a knife to a gun-fight?_

Then again, there was a good chance these monsters hadn't expected her to be a former mercenary, but she had no mercy for anyone who underestimated their opponents. It only took a split-second for the tables to be turned, after all.

Aiko turned and looked at her burnt and blackened home. Yu stood gawking at her from her front door with a rifle in his hands while Mika was stomping out the last bit of flames from the rug used to smother the fire. Mika coughed. The smoke would doubtlessly stink up her home for weeks… Her house was mostly intact, but the living room was clearly ruined. Repairs would take awhile.

She frowned, wondering about the expression her husband would make when he finally returned home from traveling.

"Bloody brilliant!" praised Yu.

"It seems you're being hunted after all," stated Aiko calmly as she looked around them. Her neighbors had stepped out of their homes to gawk at the arson and gun shots. Ignoring them, she looked around for anything that seemed out-of-place.

"You don't think that's the end of it, do you?" asked Mika, coughing as he swatted away the fumes.

Yu frowned.

Aiko agreed that this attack seemed far too simple and more like harassment than a serious assassination or kidnapping, but where would the enemy come from? Aiko ignored her pistol, dropping it to the ground with her purse as she held her revolver with both hands and continued surveying the area for additional threats.

The only thing that felt unusual was that so many people were out this late in the day, but there was nothing unnatural about it since they obviously wanted to see what all the ruckus was about. After a moment of watching them stand and gawk, something felt… off. No one asked her what happened or if she was alright. None of these noisy neighbors even asked who these two soot-coated youths were.

And then, Aiko noticed them using matches to light dirty rags they had sticking out of alcohol bottles.

Her face paled as realization suddenly hit her.

Her neighbors themselves were the next stage of attack.

Neighbors she had shared meals with and cooked for.

Neighbors she sang carols with.

Neighbors she traveled to town with and stayed up chatting with until late in the night.

Outside of those associated with the Hiragi, these people were her closest friends. They hadn't shared time on the battlefield together, but they had peaceful, happy memories. She had even babysat their children with the hopes she would one day have her own.

"You… What are you all doing?" she asked, her voice growing heavy toward their hints of betrayal.

She knew that, if she killed her neighbors, her friends, here, then she would never be able to return to this home.

Instead of answering her, the people mechanically lifted their improvised firebombs. With listless expressions, they threw the flaming bottles at her house.

"Yu, Mika!" she screamed. "Get out of there!"

And then, her home, the most tangible sign of her peaceful married life in France, completely went up in flames on all sides.

NOTE: I know the term "Molotov cocktail" never came about until World War II, but surely someone had the idea before that.


	29. 9 July 1897

9 July 1897.

For the second time that accursed night, Captain Aiko Aihara's home burst into flames. Or, rather, "Madame" Aiko Dubois, but she'd always be a captain to Yu. Even if she was supposedly retired, she was one of the few superiors who had won his respect. After all, even under the command of the Hiragi, there were only a few people who were both kind enough to treat him as a guest and unhesitatingly blow the heads off of undead monsters on sight.

Even if she was concerned with his sexuality, her concerns were for his sake and didn't originate from the bigotry they grew up with.

Yu looked around, seeing flames lick the walls of the house on all sides and flood the building with smoke. He and Mika had just finished putting out the first fire, those arseholes!

It was clear they couldn't put this fire out as easily as before. And, if they stayed here to try, they'd likely end up finding out whether vampires liked their food extra crispy.

"Mika, we have to go!" shouted Yu, trying his best to ignore the sweltering heat around him as he looked for his friend.

A second later, Mika raced out from the bedroom holding their bags of firearms and ammunition, bringing a wide grin to Yu's face. Yu took the bags in one hand, slinging his rifle over one shoulder and grasping Mika's wrist with the other.

He bolted from the burning house and coughed, gagging on the smoke as he stopped behind Aiko.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but he realized the sun had already set. Aiko was standing there, irresolutely pointing her revolver at her mesmerized neighbors but neither firing nor moving. Yu blinked and looked around, noticing the crowd of people surrounding them on all sides. He let go of Mika, coughing into his fist.

"Do you know these people?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"They are my… neighbors. They are the ones who started the fire just now," answered Aiko slowly, hesitatingly.

"They don't sound like very good neighbors," retorted Yu, aiming his rifle. The metal burnt his fingers, making him hiss as he dropped it.

"Why are you attacking us?!" shouted Aiko to the crowd. After throwing the firebombs, they hadn't moved since. They stood still, their eerily flat expressions betraying neither anger nor excitement nor even the slightest interest in their neighbor's house burning down or having a gun pointed at them. It was almost as if they were sleepwalking while sharing a malevolent dream. "I never had any quarrels with you!"

The people didn't answer.

"The vampires are supposed to have the ability to control people," said Yu carefully, feeling unease welling up in his heart. Although he'd heard about it from Mika, this was his first time actually seeing it, and it was even more appalling than he'd imagined. The people acted as if they were the living dead or puppet soldiers. Would they continue standing there, standing and doing nothing, continuing this pointless staring contest, until they received a new order?

Would they kill themselves if they were ordered to do so?

What about killing their own families?

That bastard Ferid Bathory had already said he could control Mika at any time. If that happened, then would Mika, with his wise blue eyes and sparkling smile, become as grimly silent and expressionless as these folks? Would he kill Yu with such a flat expression and not even having the ability to cry?

The thought made Yu nauseous, and he fought back the urge to slaughter every one of those puppet people on the spot.

Suddenly, as if by a puppet master's cue, the people lurched forward all at once. Some of them had guns while others held knives or even such kitchen implements as pans and rolling pins.

"They are attacking," stated Aiko closing her worried eyes for a brief moment. When she reopened her eyes, they revealed the unyielding cold gleam of someone with the resolve to fight to the death. "Kill without restraint," she instructed the boys, no longer hesitating.

"Understood," stated Yu, grabbing his hot rifle and resigning himself to some burns as his skin slowly began sizzling with the contact. "Mika, stay behind me."

It was only at this time Yu noticed Mika hadn't spoken or coughed for several seconds. It was hard to hear clearly with the crackling of the burning house and the rumble of the mob charging at them.

"Mika?" asked Yu, suddenly feeling terrified.

He looked behind him, no longer aware of the burns forming on his fingers. Bullet shots rang out as Aiko killed one human after another. If Yu were paying attention, then he would have been delighted by her skillful aim and accuracy with one shot per kill.

Instead, he anxiously looked back and forth across the lawn, people, and house, desperately looking for Mika.

"Mika?! Mika!" he cried out urgently, fear overwhelming his thoughts. After shouting that name several times, another coughing fit overtook him.

A bullet ripped through Yu's left arm while he was distracted, making him scream.

"Yu, pay attention!" demanded Aiko, rapidly reloading her revolver. "Fight or die! If you die, you can't help him at all!"

A familiar, skin-crawling laugh cackled from the sky.

Yu looked up, eyes piercing the darkness as he saw a slender, effeminate figure standing high in a tree far out of Yu's reach. His long, silver hair twisted in the breeze. Mika struggled hopelessly in his arms, his mouth covered by the fiend as he kicked, squirmed, and bit. The devil only leered down at Yu, utterly nonplussed by Mika's vain efforts.

 _Ferid Bathory!_ thought Yu, too angry to scream out his name.

"Nice try," cooed the bastard, "but you'll never make it to England at this rate."

"Give Mika back, you godda—" began Yu before he was suddenly pushed down into the dirt as a bullet shot through the air where his head had been but moments before.

"PAY ATTENTION!" yelled Aiko. "This is not the time to get distracted! If we die here, then we can't save him! We have to survive first!"

Yu looked up to see the demonic count flying like a phantom, flitting about the treetops with exaggerated carelessness, as he soared beyond the enthralled mob with Mika in his cold iron grip.

Yu grimaced, enraged as he grasped his rifle again. Determined, he shot into the crowd. They were much closer than they were before, and Yu soon began using the rifle as a blunt weapon since he no longer had the time or opportunity to load it. He slammed the rifle's heavy stock into man's face, flattening his nose like a pancake before swinging it around and slamming it against a woman's jaw.

Meanwhile, Aiko picked up the knife dropped by the female vampire from earlier and maneuvered it with great precision into one person's carotid artery and then into another's abdominal aorta. Each strike was fatal, leaving no chance for recovery.

They fought valiantly against the night as wave after wave charged at them. When Yu saw a man aim a rifle at him and he didn't have time to dodge, he deftly twisted his torso, sacrificing his left arm again and landing him a bullet wound in his shoulder. He cried out but returned his focus to the fight before him, slapping a woman's head away with the butt of his rifle before Aiko sent a bullet through her brain.

Or perhaps it would be better to call this a massacre.

Although the people surged forth with the intention to kill and no fear of death, they included children and elders, not trained combatants or soldiers. Although a couple of them had guns, their overall aim wasn't too good. Perhaps their last vestiges of self-control prevented them from killing the pair fighting for their lives. Despite being at the forefront of the battle, Aiko, the neighbor they once loved and treated with kindness, had yet to be shot even once.

Of course, that could be because of her immense skill and battle experience as she craftily used the closest victims as shields against the assault of the ones with firearms.

Even so, Yu wanted to hope.

Over an hour later, the house had burned down, its sad ruin now completed for all to see. The fire spread to the grass and bushes nearby, licking their heels. Corpse after corpse of Aiko's formerly friendly neighbors lied in a sea around them. Fortunately, there had only been about twenty or so of them in this area, and they weren't in a heavily-populated district.

Yu and Aiko stood weakly as they panted, covered in a gross mixture of sweat, blood, and ash.

"When… that guy… took Mika," panted Aiko. "That must have been… the signal… for everyone to attack… He likes Mika, right?"

"Damnit!" cursed Yu, throwing a bloody cooking knife into the ground. The dead body of a pair of children lied at his feet. They couldn't have been older than ten. Grabbing whatever cooking utensils they could, the pair had lifelessly joined the fight along with their parents and lost their lives. No matter how they were injured, the mob never stopped trying to kill the mercenaries.

Even when Yu shot their legs, they crawled forth.

Even when he maimed their hands or stabbed their arms, they kept walking forward, even going so far as to attack with teeth. These teeth were mere human teeth.

No matter what, they didn't stop until they died like possessed cattle racing toward the slaughterhouse.

"If he likes Mika, then Mika is probably better off than we are," said Aiko, attempting to reassure Yu. Even so, her expression was dark and clouded, full of hatred and disgust. "We can't stay here."

The pair limped away as the smell of burnt meat spread wafted throughout the air.

With the sort of smoldering cruelty reserved only for Mika's more memorable attempts at rebellion, such as this one, Ferid callously tossed Mika to the sea wet sand of a beach.

Once they had gotten a distance from Yu, Mika had stopped struggling. After all, Mika knew how futile his efforts were. Normally, he didn't even bother fighting against Ferid and let Ferid do as he pleased.

"Look at that waxing moon peeking through the clouds!" jeered Ferid, gazing up over the Dover Straight. "Isn't it great for a romantic rendezvous on the beach? A midnight walk with your lover?"

"Shut up," stated Mika venomously as he wobbled to his feet, glaring at Ferid with limitless hatred.

"Oho! If only looks could kill," stated Ferid with a coy grin as he pulled Mika forward by his jaw, "then maybe you could have taken me down by now."

Mika slapped his hand away.

"Hahaha!" laughed Ferid, the moonlight making his fangs glitter ominously. "You know you can't defeat me. The only reason you fought back so hard this time was because you wanted to use your body as a shield to protect little Yu and that woman. I wonder… You're not sleeping with _both_ of them, are you?"

Although Ferid had told Mika many things about vampires, and Mika had figured out many other details on his own, he knew for a fact that Mika didn't know the most crucial facts about them. First and foremost, the reason Ferid always said, time and time again that he could find Mika whenever he wanted, no matter how far he fled, was because the two of them had already exchanged blood. With this bond, all Ferid had to do to see what Mika saw was to close his eyes and focus on his bonded one. If Yu had separated from Mika, then Ferid wouldn't know much about him and would have a much harder time tracking him down. He would have to act like Horn Skuld and transform into a bloodhound to follow the scent or some other much more time-consuming tactic.

To survive, all Yu had to do was separate from Mika. That was all.

No matter who helped Mika, Mika himself would betray them without even realizing it. Whatever Mika saw, Ferid could see. Whatever Mika heard, Ferid could hear. Even though Ferid spoiled him, Mika lived to serve him as his slave, no matter how Mika willed it to be otherwise.

Ferid leaned forward, embracing Mika in a hug. Although Mika didn't waste his energy fighting back, he defiantly turned his head away.

Ferid smiled.

Then, he bit Mika's ear, piercing the tissue until it bled and making gasp with pain and instinctively try to pull away.

Ferid released the ear and then licked it clean, making Mika faintly tremble.

"As usual, you taste so good, Mika," praised Ferid honestly.

One of the things Ferid hadn't liked while observing things through Mika's eyes was just how affectionate and touchy-feely Yu was toward him. Whenever the pair disembarked or entered a train, Yu would always "help" Mika up by holding his arm and then subtly place his hand on Mika's waist. Whenever they sat down, Yu would always sit close to Mika and then "accidentally" brush his hand along Mika's thigh. Whenever they were in a crowded location, Yu would always use the excuse of being afraid to get separated to hold Mika's hand.

As far as Ferid could tell, the two were not officially dating and had not even done so much as kissed. If they had, they were probably too concerned that Ferid would catch wind of it and literally torture Yu to death in front of Mika…

Well, they weren't wrong.

Even so, except when it came to kissing, Mika hadn't warded off any of Yu's advances.

Ferid was a little peeved. Did Mika dare to have someone taking up more room in his heart than Ferid himself? Of course, Ferid could always command Mika to fall in love with him and feel no desire toward anyone but himself, but where was the fun in that?

"Oh, _Mika_ ," cooed Ferid, "there is so much you don't know."

Mika ignored him.

Ferid grinned, holding Mika in his embrace.

"Did you know, Mika… Vampires aren't born but made? Although many rumors exist, the first vampire was supposedly a fallen angel or an evil spirit or some other creature. Even I don't know. Every other vampire, aside from that very first one, was originally a human. In order to increase their numbers, all the vampires must do is share their blood… They drink the blood of the human they wish to convert and have that human drink their blood in exchange."

Mika finally reacted, pushing Ferid away.

"You sick—" began the lad, disgust, hatred, and fear filling his voice.

Ferid shivered with delight. He didn't let Mika finish his sentence and, instead, kicked his legs out from under him. He lunged forward, wrapping his long fingers around Mika's neck and slamming Mika's head against the sand as he straddled him.

"Mika, no matter how much you struggle and fight against it, you've already ingested my blood. Ever since you first began staying at my mansion, I exchanged blood with you and instructed you to forget it. Every single time. The way you would lick my fingers without fighting against me like usual was so cute… _There is no longer any need for you to forget_. I command you to _remember ever single time in which I fed you my blood_."

Ferid watched merrily as Mika's gaze became distant. Mika's precious, pale lips began to quiver. After several long moments, Mika began to tremble, and tears spilled from his eyes.

"You… You…" Mika sniffed and mumbled incoherently from the shocking, intrusive memories.

"You and I have exchanged blood many times before. Whenever you die, you will naturally turn into a vampire at that time. Of course, _you can't tell anyone about this._ By the way, _you are still forbidden from killing yourself. You may also not do anything that would prevent you from turning successfully, including but not limited to having your corpse lie under sunlight or asking to be decapitated after death._ Understood?"

Ferid smiled at Mika's horrified and tearful expression.

Finally, instead of thinking of Yu, his precious Mikaela had returned to thinking only of Ferid once again.

"You already know that you can't fight against me. No matter what happens, whether you die in France or survive long enough to reach England, _you belong only to me._ No matter what, you will come back to me."

Ferid leaned closer, and Mika helplessly tried to push his face away. Ferid only laughed and pushed Mika's arms away before sinking his fangs into Mika's neck. Instead of taking the care to bite Mika more gently like he usually did, he intentionally clamped down harder, making his fangs dig deeply into the meat of Mika's neck with enough strength to bruise the muscle as if to rip Mika's very throat out.

Blood filled with despair was, indeed, the greatest liquor.

Mika's whimpering made Ferid enjoy him ever so much more.

Even though it only took several minutes for Ferid to drain Mika close to death and then force long, sickening gulps of black vampire blood down his throat, Mika had felt like it had taken hours. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and his throat was hoarse from yelling and being affected by the smoke earlier.

Mika was at the weakest he had ever felt, not just physically but emotionally as well. The last time he had been consumed by such desolation was when his family of orphans had been slaughtered in front of him. Physically, he was exhausted and could barely retain his consciousness. How much of the exhaustion was from struggling so intensely and how much was from being drained so severely, Mika couldn't say.

He was out of breath, sore, and very, very thirsty.

A revolting metallic taste was in his mouth, and it made him want to vomit. Unfortunately, Ferid had ordered him to keep it down, so he was doomed.

Panting from fatigue, Mika let himself fall into a deep sleep. At least, this way, he could get a blissful escape from Ferid for at least a short while.

Ferid smiled smugly at his prey.

Mika belonged to him and not to anyone else.


	30. 10 July 1897

10 July 1897.

Mitsuba's surprise gift from her parents took longer to prepare than she expected. The enormity of it was the most shocking thing.

"Your parents bought you a _cottage?_ " asked Yoichi, flabbergasted.

"There are so many more practical things to use it for. It sounds like a waste," said Kimizuki.

"Haha," chuckled Mitsuba lightly with a complicated expression. "It's a good opportunity for me to get away from my parents and their stuffy house, so I'm pretty happy with it. I don't have to worry as much about them or their servants leering over my shoulder and watching everything I do like I'm a parakeet in a cage. I will still be monitored, sure, but it won't be like before. I can fire whoever I want, too!"

"Yeah. It looks like a nice place," said Yoichi amiably. "They picked a nice area."

"They really did," added Mitsuba cheerfully. "There's a park nearby, and it's close enough to the city to be convenient but not too crowded. Not to mention, it only takes a carriage ride to reach the sea. I own the land around the cottage, so I will have some privacy. The woods out back can be used for hunting and training. Best of all, it's not in a posh neighborhood, so I don't have to be as concerned about dressing as a frilly princess and wearing pearls all the time!"

The three of them stood in front of the cottage to admire it. It was an impressive structure with two stories, a porch, and a balcony. It even had a staircase on the outside, which led up to the second story. It had lovely white window shutters, white guardrails, and even a white picket fence around the innermost yard of the house. The house itself was painted in a pastel blue, giving it a calming air. Gardeners and other workers cleaned up the yard, trimmed the flower bed around the house, and carried in a few remaining pieces of furniture, making the otherwise relaxing atmosphere rather bustling.

"Ah… So, I've been wondering this for a while," began Kimizuki with concern wrinkling his brow. "Where exactly is Shinoa?"

"She said she had something to do," replied Mitsuba, folding her arms. "That said, she left me a note offering to move in with me, so she must have known about this even before I did."

"Oh? I wonder what she's up to," muttered Yoichi.

"I don't," said Mitsuba. "If I think about it, I feel like I'll attract whatever trouble she's stirred up this time."

Seishiro turned sluggishly in his bed, head throbbing with pain.

"Good morning, elder brother!" came a singsong voice that pierced his thoughts like a large-bore needle.

He frowned, confused as he struggled to wake up. He remembered drinking a lot and getting into a fight, but that was it. Deciding to brutally punish whichever foolish servant dared to harass him so early in the day, he glared at the figure sitting by the window.

It was a short, petite young woman with a large bow clipped onto the back of her hair. Recognizing her silhouette, Seishiro's blood suddenly ran cold.

"Wow! He must have hit you hard to leave you sleeping for two days, or were you just that drunk? I tried to talk to you yesterday, but you were completely noncognizant! Maybe someone even spiked your drink! You need to be extra careful about such things, my dearest elder brother!"

"Sh-Shinoa," stuttered Seishiro, awkwardly sitting up. Even though she was only half his size, he failed to hold back his trembling and the terror in his expression when he saw her. "Wh-What brings you here?"

His voice was obviously hoarse and scratchy from his deep sleep.

Surely, she didn't have a reason to drug him, right? Maybe it was Kureto? Or maybe he had too much booze after all?

"Oh my!" she squealed with a smile that wasn't a smile. "You shouldn't look at me with an expression like that! Someone might think I took advantage of you or bullied your or something, and that just isn't polite."

As if she ever cared about being polite.

Shinoa Hiragi was an enigma known to only her few remaining family members and a few other select individuals. She left no obvious mark on society and had no overt achievements, Kureto's complete opposite. If someone blinked, he would miss her and then forget she was ever there. She was like ghost who appeared and disappeared at will. Even when Seishiro tried to gather more information about his youngest sibling, he was never successful. All he knew was that whenever he did something she didn't approve of, she would find him. Even if he silenced every person he thought had a connection to it, she still knew the truth behind any improper acts he tried to hide. Other people who displeased her disappeared. Although she never appeared in the spotlight, she had a wide base of informants and manipulated things behind the scenes. If Kureto was the future leader full of charisma and political backing, then she was his shadow who made it so certain things "never happened."

"Just get to the point," growled Seishiro, growing impatient with his half-sister. When she raised an eyebrow at his tone, he flinched.

He had attacked her before. Even though this pixy-sized demon was only half his size, she had proven herself fully capable of warding off his attacks and giving him a few bruises to show for it. Once, when he got irritated with her and they were much younger and naive, he had attacked her… It hadn't gone well for him. And when she had flaunted her files upon files of blackmail against him, he was left with naught but a traumatic memory.

If he dared fight back, he suspected his corpse might be resting a few leagues into the sea the following morning. Would Kureto even cared if died? Their father certainly wouldn't.

"I came all this way to warn you and even missed out on the opening celebration for my friend's new house, and this is how you treat me," she pouted. "Anyway, do you remember the man who throttled you and your lackeys in under a minute the other evening?"

"Yeah! I'm going to throttle that accursed busybody! Who the hell does he think he is, getting into my business?" he said, forgetting his fear and clutching his bedsheets with hatred.

"You will do _nothing_ to him. Merely pretend this event never happened. Understood?"

Seishiro deflated. "Why the hell not? He's just a foreign bastard, and he is the one who picked a fight on _our_ turf."

"Hahaha," began Shinoa with a laugh that wasn't really a laugh. The urge to shiver crept down Seishiro's spine. "He's related to a count from Transylvania, who has an even longer noble history and heritage than our Hiragi family. They recently moved here and have already made connections with the government, police, and the top three most influential gangs in this part of Britain. They even have connections within our own company, which means that finding an opportunity for them to end your life would appear as long as they wait patiently… Besides, my friend likes him."

Somehow, Seishiro felt like that final statement was the real reason Shinoa didn't want him fighting with that stranger.

"How did such a powerful group slide in right under our noses?" asked Seishiro, unwilling to give in.

"It seems they prepared things in the shadows before ever even moving into their new property. One of their properties was sold to them through Guren, by the way. He recently sent us a letter providing the details. He also mentioned that something came up, so he sent the count here ahead of him and Yuichiro."

"Guren Ichinose...? That arrogant prick is the cause of all this?!" Seishiro had always disdained this trash from the fallen Ichinose family. He never understood why Kureto favored him so much.

"So it seems… Anyway, we got a handsome deal for it. Kureto will probably want to strengthen our connection to them in hopes of enhancing our influence in the continent." Noticing Seishiro's discontent, Shinoa added, "I'm nice enough to give you a warning, but Kureto is liable to just chop off your head, you know? At any rate, it's time for me to take my leave," said Shinoa, hopping off her seat next to the window.

When she reached the door, she paused. "I strongly recommend you follow my advice, or else sleeping for an entire week straight will be the least of your concerns."

She plucked the bow off her head and gracefully stepped into the hallway. As the light from the hall hit her, Seishiro realized she was dressed as one of the maids of his estate.

His expression twisted up as he realized he would have to be more careful about getting any revenge. Even if retaliating for this humiliation wasn't worth risking his life, he needed to find some way to make him pay. Too bad Shinoa clearly opposed him this time… Perhaps another one of his connections could help.

"Your cottage is quite lovely, Mitsuba," said Yoichi once they completed a brief tour of her new home.

It was indeed an exquisite home. It had one kitchen, one dining room, a living room, one lounge, a sitting room, two bathrooms, one half-bath, one master bedroom, and three additional bedrooms. Any one of the bedrooms was more than twice the size of the dorm room that four boys in the company shared. That said, it was rather quaint when compared to Mitsuba's parents' opulent mansion in the city.

"Yes, yes, it is," agreed Mitsuba with a wry smile. "I'm grateful my parents demonstrated superb taste for once by choosing such a charming cottage instead of an ostentatious manor full of sparkling extravagance and wastefulness. I never realized they understood me so well."

"…Perhaps they didn't," replied Kimizuki slowly. "You mentioned that Shinoa already congratulated you, right? Is it possible she somehow influenced their decision?"

Mitsuba's violet eyes blinked blankly for a moment as she slowly considered the situation. Abruptly, her lips pursed with anger while her eyes sparkled in delight.

"Shinoa, that brat!" she said, feigning rage as she balled her hand into a fist. "Helping me get a comfortable private home and not telling me about it? I'll definitely get her for this."

Kimizuki and Yoichi glanced at each other before shrugging and smiling. Even though Mitsuba was clearly pleased by Shinoa's care, she was too embarrassed to show her happiness openly.

"While you scheme your revenge, I need to head to the hospital before visiting hours end," said Kimizuki with a sigh. His sharp expression grew somewhat somber.

"How is your sister doing?" asked Yoichi.

"Mirai is doing alright. She tells the nursing staff that she hurts all over but always tells me she's doing fine. That said, her nosebleeds haven't been as frequent, and her fever has gone down. She's been gaining weight, too. Hopefully, she'll be able to be discharged soon."

"You're fortunate the Hiragi Company is so generous to their staff."

At that comment, Mitsuba frowned. "I'm not sure I would ever describe the company as being generous to mere orphaned low-ranking members like you. Be careful. If they suddenly appear to not be so generous or if you feel suspicious about something, let me or Shinoa know immediately."

"I know," answered Kimizuki seriously. "Anyway, _princess_ , I need to take my leave," he said with a wave as he walked off.

"P-Princess?!" exuded Mitsuba aghast. "Just who are you calling a princess?!"

Yoichi laughed amicably. "I'll go with him. You know he tends to get in fights with gangs if he's off on his own. Take care! You might also want to sleep with one eye open in case Shinoa decides to prank you in the middle of the night."

They said their farewells, and Mitsuba gazed into the setting sky. Baby blue colors became tinted with navy while the ever-present clouds glowed with radiant peaches, pinks, and purples. It was quite fortuitous her move-in day was free of rain. Away from the bustling city packed with people and rats, she felt free and like she could stretch her wings…

Even though she knew this was just one new stage in her life and that she would still be monitored by her servants and bodyguards, she greatly appreciated the fresh air awaiting her in her new life.

Perhaps she would even find her prince charming once and for all.

"I can't find Mika anywhere," said Yu before coughing. He was still covered in soot and dried blood from the fire the previous night.

"Why would he be taken away just so you could find him so easily?" retorted Aiko, somewhat irritable after having fought for their lives and stayed up for two days without sleep. "I have some people out looking for him. Meanwhile, you need to get yourself cleaned up and change your clothes. You look like a beggar or, worse, a criminal who just fled from an arson."

"I can't stop looking if there is a chance I could find him," argued Yu.

"At this rate, the only place you'll find him is behind bars once the coppers catch you for looking so suspicious. Besides, he knew what he was involved with. Do you think those monsters would kill him if they liked him so much? Have a little faith."

The pair argued for a while longer, and Aiko finally convinced Yu to shower. They were staying at a run-down inn near a certain bar where some acquaintances of hers frequented. While Yu wore himself down hoofing it all across town, she instead paid some low-ranking gangs to find a seventeen-year-old blond male with blue eyes who appeared to be somewhat pale and malnourished but rather beautiful in a despairing kind of way. She instructed them to check outgoing ships, hospitals, and clinics. Unlike what she told Yu, she also instructed them to keep an eye out for any corpses matching that description. She suspected such a lunatic of an assailant was more likely to kill or mutilate Mika than to keep him as a pet, but she couldn't tell Yu that. It had already taken her all night and all day to calm Yu down just enough to get him cleaned.

If she told him Mika might be killed, she doubted Yu would willingly fall asleep until he was so physically exhausted, he couldn't move anymore.

Aiko Aihara sighed as she slumped onto one of the beds in their suite. Yu was so agitated that even she went without sleep, and the night, and quite possibly their next harrowing battle, was only about to begin. Grimacing as she stretched her aching and injured muscles, she cautiously began checking over her firearms once more.

Hopefully, news of Mika's death would arrive soon, and then Yu could quit acting like a love-struck fool. It would be nice if he were found alive, but Yu would be too distracted by him to work properly. Carting an invalid around would slow their pace as well.

Who was more important, Mika or Guren?

Somehow, she suspected Yu no longer knew.


	31. 12 July 1897

12 July 1897.

"Good afternoon, Miss Mirai!" cheered Mitsuba as she stepped into a dull gray hospital ward with a large bouquet of brilliant flowers. Mitsuba wore a lilac dress that brought out the color of her eyes and was less eye-catching than the frilly gown she wore at the party. The elbow-length puffed sleeves with elegant white bows and trimming gave the young woman a demure and gentle feeling. With the lacey hat she wore, she truly looked like girl who had crossed the cusp to womanhood if not for one slight detail…

"Good afternoon, Miss Mitsuba! Thank you for visiting," said an emaciated brown-haired girl as she sat up in her bed. The girl's eyes locked onto Mitsuba's golden blond hair. "I see you're still wearing pigtails. The boys must tease you about it."

"The boys don't tease me nearly as much as Shinoa does," said Mitsuba jovially as she shut the door behind her. "I shall keep pigtails until I get engaged, just like my sister! One day this hair style will be popular once again."

Mirai's mouth twitched, but she refused to comment. She swung her thin legs over the side of the bed to speak more comfortably. Even though she was already fourteen years old, she only looked like she was eleven or twelve. Her waist-length brown hair had long lost its luster under the ailments of chronic illness. The only similarities she had with her brother, Shiho Kimizuki, was their eye color, mixed racial features, and hard-headed unwillingness to show any weakness.

Mitsuba sat down, and the two girls chatted for nearly an hour. Mitsuba promised to let Mirai recuperate at her new cottage once she was released. Symptoms of her leukemia were improving, and they hoped the doctors would permit her to be released soon. Of course, Mitsuba considered them all to be quacks and had tried to convince Kimizuki to let Mirai stay with her instead of in the hospital, but he wanted her to be able to receive immediate aid if her condition worsened.

Eventually, Mitsuba bid farewell to let the young girl rest.

Mirai used the toilet before crawling back into bed to lie her tired body down once again.

Shivering, she pulled the blankets over herself and gazed as the vase full of flowers that seemed to add life into this facility full of the dying and the dead. She smiled softly before drifting into a restless sleep full of vivid dreams, which were, for once, full of hope and color.

Mitsuba took a carriage out of the city before walking the rest of the way to her home. She had successfully ditched her servants-cum-bodyguards earlier, which gave her the freedom to visit Kimizuki's sickly little sister, who was as charming and polite as ever.

She enjoyed a leisurely stroll as she made her way along. She memorized the locations of the nearby facilities, parks, housing districts, and hunting grounds. A pair of women strode by while riding bicycles, something that would have been taboo ten years prior. She took a moment to watch the sunset, but it was not nearly as beautiful as it was the evening she first moved into her new home. It wasn't long before she resumed her pace and cut through a park leading to her new abode, looking forward to a satisfying dinner and a good book.

Although she had no qualms about ditching her guards during the day, roaming around at night while alone was another story.

Before long, she sensed a presence to her left and continued walking as she casually grasped the pistol hidden within her purse.

A moment later, a boorish mass of a man with a grizzled beard and wreaking of gin lunged out at her.

She unhesitatingly swung around and aimed the pistol at his face with both hands.

Before she could fire, another man appeared and punched the hooligan in his kidney, making him yelp, before boxing him in the face and knocking him unconscious.

The hero looked up into the eyes of the beauty and her Colt New Police Revolver, which was coincidentally aimed right at his forehead. The man stood up gracefully and raised his hands above his shoulders in surrender. He was a tall, muscular man over six-foot tall with maroon bangs and a mahogany braid.

"Ahem," said the gentleman with an indistinct European accent as he wisely took a step back. "I came to save the lady, but it appears the lady was not the damsel in distress I imagined." He gave an awkward smile that was somehow charming at this inopportune time.

"Um, well, yes, you see," mumbled Mitsuba as she lowered her revolver but still kept it handy, "a woman needs to be capable of defending herself these days. You never know what kind of mongrels might jump out of the shadows."

"Yes, indeed, milady," said the man with a graceful bow that somehow felt uncharacteristic of him. "If you bid me leave, then I shall deliver this mongrel to the police station in your stead."

"Y-Yes, please do," said the young woman, her face growing red as she recognized this vigilante as the one who rescued her on the night of her birthday celebration.

The man lifted the assailant by his collar and began dragging him away as if he were as light as a child, which made Mitsuba gap in awe of his muscles.

"W-Wait! What's your name? I'm Mitsuba Sangu, and I'm very… very grateful you saved me tonight! Please let me know the name of my savior!" she finally sputtered before he disappeared.

"Crowley. Crowley Eusford," said the man with a polite nod, although he wasn't certain she had really been in need of saving. "Please travel safely."

After several moments passed by, Mitsuba finally calmed herself down and scanned her surroundings before walking home at a faster pace. With any luck, Shinoa would have arrived and can tell her all about Crowley Eusford, the strong and skillful heroic man who clearly had life experience far exceeding the men her parents usually introduced her to. The fact he was an attractive, muscular hunk of a man who made her heart race, was a detail she derogated to a mere bonus.

She was a young woman growing older every day. Why couldn't she chase after a man on her own power?

Crowley watched from a few hundred meters away as the young woman finally rushed home. He sighed in relief, worried that she might be up to no good. Since when had young English women gone around carrying firearms? Just what kind of place had England turned into all these decades while he had been away? It had only been thirty or forty years since he had last visited. Then again, there had been female guards on that smuggling ship, so perhaps this was a new trend.

He heard a gasp as the man at his feet started to awaken. Crowley sighed and gazed down at the vagrant before casually snapping the bastard's neck.

Just in case, he would have a quick supper tonight and then follow that revolver-wielding maiden. After speaking with her once, he felt it would be a pity to let her be attacked. Besides, there was no harm in getting to know his neighbors. After all, this Miss Sangu appeared to be wealthy, so making a connection wouldn't be a bad thing. Her parents could be influential.

After convincing himself, he silently followed her home and watched her safely enter her house before returning to dispose of the corpse.

Mitsuba barged into her cottage with a large smile on her face.

"Oh my," cooed a voice. "What's this? Lady Mitsuba of the Sangu family was seen prancing around after hours on the third day she has moved out of her family home! Naughty, naughty!"

"Shinoa," stated Mitsuba, "no matter how late I stay out, I cannot possibly be more 'naughty' than you!"

Shinoa placed her hands over her chest and made a whimpering expression. "Ouch! You're going to break my heart!"

"Where have you been the past few days, anyway? It's not like I was worried or anything, but you should really let someone know where you are."

"I've been working is all," said Shinoa with her classic smile-that-wasn't-a-smile. "In the past week or two since those European nobles moved in, the crime rate in nearby districts has decreased substantially. By the way, I found out the name of the man who assisted you the night of the party. His name is Crowley Eusford. He's a strong bloke who claims to act as Count Bathory's bodyguard and driver, but he also seems to do a lot of other work getting their estate ready."

"I-Is that right?" asked Mitsuba, blushing lightly while she began combing her fingers through a lock of her hair. She gazed at the stairs intently, as if they contained the key words for an exam. "He sounds like a nice person. N-Not that I care. I would have been fine."

"Hmm…." Shinoa approached Mitsuba and watched her very closely. She lost her halfhearted smile while she stared at her friend.

The stare continued, and Mitsuba played with her hair even more fervently.

"You're hiding something," said Shinoa while continuing to stare intently.

"I am not!" argued Mitsuba in a fluster. "Anyway, that person! I just thought he was interesting, is all! I need to get ready for bed!" she said before bolting up the stairway.

"Young Miss, what about supper?!" asked a servant urgently as she chased after the young woman.

After some consideration, Shinoa shouted after her. "He has a wealthy background! Although he works for the count, he actually has considerable wealth and heritage! Even your parents might approve of him as a match!"

That night, or before sunrise the next morning, six vampires gathered together in their new estate. The lights were off, making it as though the residents were all asleep, but none of them were bothered by the darkness.

"I have gotten control over the most influential politicians in the area," stated Horn in German.

"I have infiltrated the police," said Crowley. "There is a surprisingly significant amount of influence by the Hiragi."

"I have fully recovered!" stated Chess happily, now fully-grown and as voluptuous as before. "I can break into the Hiragi compound and start manipulating their people!"

"Eh…" mumbled Crowley, feeling quite uncertain about how to word what he wanted to say.

"Chess, dear," began Horn slowly, "you know, you can't kill these people when you drink their blood. Otherwise, they'll just be corpses instead of puppets. It'll be problematic if their people turn into corpses."

"I'll be careful!" swore Chess. "Just leave it to me!"

Neither Horn nor Crowley were nearly as confident in Chess as she was in herself.

"Chess," said Crowley cautiously, "you know we just moved here and have been having Lacus and Re _né guard the estate, but perhaps it would be better if one of our stronger members protected it instead. After all, we would be in some trouble if the humans decided to raid this place one day. Perhaps you ought to go and hire some guards and servants to take care of things? This would temporarily leave you in charge of managing the estate for now, which is a pretty big responsibility…"_

 _"You're right," said Chess after a moment. "I'll watch over our new home. The two of you can work on infiltrating the Hiragi and other neighboring gangs."_

 _Both Horn and Crowley sighed in relief. Lacus appeared amused while neither Guren nor_ Re _né showed any expression. As weaker vampires, they avoided pointed out the faults of their betters, such as Chess's likely inability to infiltrate an organization without being noticed._

 _Guren noticed no one recommended him for infiltrating his former company, but he assumed it was because he had yet to earn their trust._

 _The group chatted for a while longer, updating each other on their going-ons and making sure their newborn fledgling was still eating well and staying out of trouble. Since fledgling vampires were most at risk for being killed, Guren always had to be with one of the other vampires. Except when taken out to eat, Guren had mostly stayed quietly in their new home or other isolated places, seemingly more somber than he was as a human. As such changes were common for vampires, they did not pay it too much mind._

 _Before long, someone knocked on the door to their mansion._

 _With a flicker, Crowley launched himself downstairs while the other vampires stepped out of the room to eavesdrop better. After all, no usual visitor would come so early before dawn._

 _"Good morning, sir. I have been sent here at the behest of Lord Lest Karr to invite Count Ferid Bathory and company to a midnight banquet next week and welcome you to England," came the voice of a young man in a suit._

 _"Why, thank you," said Crowley, accepting the invitation with both hands. "Unfortunately, Ferid himself has yet to arrive…"_

The visitor blinked, forgetting to act formal. "Eh? Haven't you already been here for a couple of weeks?"

"Well, you know how Ferid is," replied Crowley just as casually. "He took a… detour."

"Aren't you supposed to be his nanny?"

"Me? Oh, no! Ferid's tastes are a little too extreme for me… Although, if you really want to keep him under watch, none of us will stop you…"

The visitor laughed. "No, thank you! Even among our kind, he has quite a reputation for being queer."

Guren watched as Crowley chatted with the unfamiliar vampire. Considering the vampires were from two different factions, they were awfully friendly toward each other. Considering that Ferid's group was now encroaching on another vampire's territory, Guren expected more bloodshed.

"Who's that?" he asked Lacus, who was beside him.

Instead of Lacus, Horn was the one who answered. "Ky Luc, a noble vampire even more powerful and ancient than Ferid himself."

A breath later, she descended the stairs, her white dress flowing hauntingly in the night in contrast with her red lips and eyes just like a ghostly demoness raised from the dead. "Good morning, milord," she said with a bow.

"Good morning, Lady Skuld," he replied with a less formal bow of his own. "So, I've heard you lost track of that perverted leader of yours."

"Unfortunately, sir. You know he doesn't like being confined by… conventions."

"Hahaha! Well, ain't that the truth! In any case, if he doesn't arrive before the banquet, the rest of you are welcome to show up in his place. I'll notify Lord Karr. Have a blessed night, and I shall see you soon," said the man with a bow.

He swiftly changed form into a bat and flew off into the sky tinged with dawn.

Guren frowned as he wondered just how many vampires lived in England. After all, the only reason he ventured all the way to Transylvania once he received a tip was because he found no other options, but vampires had been living there right under his nose all this time.

Just how many years had he wasted already?


End file.
